


Back in Time

by sophcaro



Category: AKB48, SKE48
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst, Drama, F/F, Femslash, Romance, Time Travel, Yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-17
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-08-15 12:37:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8056708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophcaro/pseuds/sophcaro
Summary: Year 2050. Rena Matsui,  a 26-year-old charismatic young woman, is at the head of one of the most successful companies in Japan. One of her wildest dreams is to build a time machine to go back in time, a technical exploit never achieved by anyone before. To fulfill her wish she gathers a team composed of the best scientists in the country, including her best friend Akane Takayanagi. When the project reaches an impasse, she recruits a 24-year-old girl praised for her talents, the charming Jurina...- Next update in November 2018 -





	1. Prologue + Chapter 1

**PROLOGUE**

 

It was precisely 9:35 a.m. when drops of water started falling heavily in the streets of Tokyo. The darkened sky had taken everyone by surprise, except for a certain woman with long, black hair who paused and glanced up to the sky. While everyone around her was now speeding up and trying desperately to take shelter from the unexpected rain, she took out her small umbrella from her handbag and opened it calmly, placing it over her head the moment after.

It is true to say the weather forecast had not announced rain, but Rena Matsui was a sagacious person. It didn't matter all the progress science had now accomplished in 2050; meteorology was still an unpredictable parameter. After all these years, Nature was an element mankind was still unable to fully comprehend, even less bend to its will. That was why Rena had learned never to trust the weather forecast; she always went to work with a mini collapsible umbrella inside her bag.

Rena resumed her walk, ignoring the sound of the drops of water hitting loudly against her umbrella to fall deep into her thoughts. She had been working on an important project for more than four months now, without managing to reach her objective. Her young age was not in cause. Despite the fact she was only 26, she was one of the most brilliant minds of her generation. Moreover, she was surrounded by very competent colleagues, and experts in their field of work.

Rena was well aware that she was trying to accomplish something no one had ever managed to before. If she succeeded, it would be an incredible breakthrough. However, she wasn't solely doing it for the sake of science. She also wanted to accomplish one of her wildest dreams: to go back in time. It was a dream that formed inside her young mind when she was still an innocent child, and never left her as she progressively became a grown-up woman.

Society was more than ever turned towards the future. The country was getting robotized at an increasing speed. Japan had definitely always been at the cutting edge of technology when it came to robotics, and Rena could see how much society was changing gradually. However, no matter how much she believed society was progressively losing its humanity in favor of excessive technology, she had an absolute certitude: old civilizations still had not reveled all their secrets.

The knowledge she would acquire if she managed to build her time machine would be immeasurable and priceless.

The rain was now slightly decreasing when Rena stopped a few minutes later in front of a 25-floor building. It was one of the five buildings that belonged to her company, and that she had acquired at the sudden death of her millionaire father, Akihide Matsui. Her eyes fell onto the golden plate, _Matsui corporation,_ before turning towards the familiar guard posted in front of the door as he addressed her.

"Welcome, Matsui-san.” He bowed politely to her, opening the door to let her in. "The weather is really unfortunate today."

Rena gave him a thankful nod and closed her umbrella when she finally found herself in the safety of the hallway. "Thank you, Nakamura-san. Weather has always been unpredictable, and I don't believe it will ever change."

Although it had been very subtle, Rena didn't miss the surprise flashing into his eyes briefly as she uttered his name correctly. The man had been hired only a week ago and was obviously not expecting his employer to already remember his name. "Have a nice day, Matsui-san." A pleased smile moved to his lips as he closed the door behind her carefully.

Rena took a few steps inside the quiet hallway and left her soaked umbrella at the reception, before moving towards one of the four elevators. The door opened only a few seconds later and she pressed the number 22 once inside, only to see a girl rushing into the elevator as the doors were closing progressively. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sudden irruption and she scanned the newcomer who was soaked from head to toe. Well, it appeared someone had _definitely_ not seen the rain coming.

"Thank you," the girl with black, shoulder-length hair addressed her with a grateful smile while trying to catch her breath. Rena mustered her best polite smile but couldn't help but feel a bit disturbed by the view. The girl was trying to fix her disheveled hair as best as she could, and Rena couldn't help thinking how useless her little attempt was. Rena had no idea who that girl was – which was a little strange considering she remembered all her employees' faces – but she had to refrain herself from saying it wasn't just her hair that needed fixing right now. Her whole appearance was a total mess.

As if the stranger could feel her eyes on her, she suddenly tilted her head in her direction and gave her an embarrassed look. "I look awful, don't I?" She let out a small, nervous laugh. "I'm going to a job interview. Something is telling me I'm not going to make a good first impression on my new employer."

Rena shook her head lightly at her, trying to sound reassuring. "The rain took you by surprise. I'm sure he'll be lenient."

"You think?" The girl arched an eyebrow at her, and Rena could tell by her now slightly amused expression that she did not manage to make herself as convincing as she intended.

Rena had always been a very composed person, but maybe the view was just too shocking for her to stay completely imperturbable. Evidently, her perfect mask had unexpectedly slipped, and her true feelings managed to come across. And the girl was applying for a job? Surely, she had to be pretty confident in her skills to have the nerves to present herself in such a terrible state.

Rena looked away, a little troubled by the fact this stranger managed to see right through her. She took a peek at the number flashing on the wall, realizing she would soon arrive at her floor. In a few seconds, she would have all forgotten about her short encounter with the talkative, yet pretty girl. Even if Rena believed her job interview had little chance of succeeding – which reasonable employer would hire someone who looked like a mess? – she couldn't help thinking she still looked quite attractive with her charming smile and cute dimples.

Silence enveloped them after that, and Rena suddenly realized the other girl had not pressed any button when she entered the elevator. Could she have possibly forgotten about it in her haste? Rena turned towards her, startled. "Forgive me, but what floor are you going to?"

The girl who was trying to adjust her clothes looked up at once, before giving her a somewhat confused look. "Floor 22."

Rena froze at the unexpected reply. She was going to the same floor? That was completely impossible. Only the team working on her time machine was situated on floor 22. The girl had to be mistaken. However, Rena didn't have time to question her further that the doors had already opened, and the girl made her way outside without further ado.

Rena followed her quietly, her eyes glued on her back while trying to understand why the girl was walking so confidently towards the direction of the white door at the end of the corridor, when it was obviously a huge mistake on her behalf. She was at the wrong floor, and she needed to warn her immediately.

"Excuse me..." Rena started, but never had time to finish her sentence.

The door suddenly opened from the other side, and the familiar face of one of her most trusted colleagues – and also closest friends, Akane – came into view. The latter gave her a warm smile when she noticed her approaching, but soon diverted her attention to the girl who had occupied the same elevator as Rena and was now standing by her side. If she found herself disconcerted by her current state, then it didn't show. Instead, she addressed her with a kind, large smile. "You must be Jurina Matsui?"

"Yes." Rena heard the girl who apparently shared the same surname replying. Right now, she couldn't find herself more confused. So, it wasn't a mistake? She was really at the right floor?

"Please come in," Akane welcomed her. "It's the room at the end of the corridor, on your left."

Rena watched the other girl walking away, and she approached her friend as soon as she was out of sight, now more than curious to discover what this was all about. "Who is she, Akane?"

"Who?" Her friend with long, black hair glanced back at her in confusion. "Don't you remember you were supposed to meet candidates for the new position? She's likely going to be your new assistant. Airi told me she has the best résumé amongst all the candidates."

"W–What?" Rena stammered. The drenched girl she just met in the elevator was supposed to be the genius she had been looking for all this time? The person who was going to help her finish her time machine? There had to be a misunderstanding; Rena was positively sure about that. So why on earth was her friend Akane looking at her with such a serious expression?

  

* * *

 

**CHAPTER 1**

 

 Rena soon discovered her friend Akane surprisingly ended up being right when it came to the new candidate. In fact, Rena couldn’t believe how impressive her résumé was for someone of her age. At the age of 24, and after graduating from one of the best universities in the country, the girl who shared the same surname as her had already worked in big corporations in Japan. To be honest, when she checked her résumé for the first time, Rena was having a hard time matching the drenched girl who was patiently waiting for her turn in the hallway with the person who had accomplished all those things on the paper. Could looks be so deceiving?

She hired her. It was the most logical decision, albeit the fact she surely couldn’t say the new candidate made a first good impression on her in the elevator. In the end, this moment was all forgotten. What mattered the most to her, was what Jurina Matsui could bring to the team. Rena had been looking for someone with the necessary skills to build the time machine, and it seemed the younger girl would definitely be the one to help them.

Jurina Matsui didn’t disappoint her. In only one month, Rena realized how much progress they had accomplished with the latest addition to the team. Of course, she didn’t fool herself into believing the time machine would be built in no time. It is true to say they were progressing much faster thanks to her new assistant, but there were still too many unknown parameters to know when the time machine would be operational.

Much as Rena was grateful for all the help the younger girl was bringing them, she couldn’t say she had really bonded with her new assistant. When it came to her work, the girl was on time and very professional. However, there was one personality trait she had difficulty adjusting to. Indeed, it didn’t take long for her to discover that Jurina Matsui was a real flirt.

In fact, she was pretty sure she had flirted at one point or another with everyone on floor 22, men excluded. It didn’t escape Rena’s keen sense of observation that Jurina’s conversations with her male co-workers always remained strictly professional. Why that? The head of Matsui corporation found this difference in treatment between both sexes more than curious, but she always kept her thoughts carefully to herself.

But there was one fact that disturbed her even more than Jurina’s obvious disinterest in flirting with men. As she was her assistant, Rena definitely interacted quite a lot with her during the day. However, there was one pattern her assistant followed with every other woman of the floor, except with her. She never flirted. Not once.

Jurina was always very polite and would smile to her here and then, but that was it. Yes, her kindness showed on many occasions, as when she would bring her everyday her coffee inside her office at the 4 p.m. break. It wasn’t something Rena had ever requested her to do, but that her assistant had taken the liberty to do on her free will. However, she could tell her assistant chose carefully her words each time they spoke to each other. In fact, there was a form of shyness in her eyes that only seemed to appear when they interacted.

Was it because she was her superior and as such felt she would be overstepping boundaries if she acted too carefree with her?

Rena had not a clue, however she couldn’t ignore the fact she felt more than once taken aback by this difference of treatment towards her. She should be happy her assistant was respectful and nothing but hardworking, so why was Jurina’s peculiar attitude towards her troubling her so much?

Today again, Rena was witnessing her assistant’s flirty behavior right in front of her nose. Because of the project, the 24-year-old girl worked closely with Akane, and it seemed she had taken a particular liking in her. Indeed, Rena noticed that she flirted with her best friend way more than with the other women of the floor. And unfortunately, Akane’s office was located just in her field of vision, making it impossible for her not to see Jurina’s actions. 

Rena had a lot of work to do this morning, but somehow couldn’t detach her eyes from her assistant who had arrived behind Akane a little while ago and was now leaning forward to show her something on the computer. Of course, it was impossible for her to hear what they were saying but she surely didn’t miss Jurina placing her hand casually on Akane’s shoulder, nor the amused smile on the latter’s lips as she had evidently said something funny to her.

“Why does she keep doing that?” Rena muttered, finding herself once again displeased by her assistant’s constant flirting with Akane. A sudden soft knock on the door of her office distracted her and she diverted her attention in curiosity to the long dark, curly-haired woman entering her office.

“It’s 12:45 p.m. Want to go out for lunch?” Airi, her 27-year-old Human Resources manager, offered.

 _Already?_ Rena was startled by the news and checked the time on her computer, realizing it was indeed already past noon. She barely had done half of what she was supposed to do this morning. “Yes,” Rena replied nonetheless, knowing she needed a break anyway. She started losing focus as soon as her assistant decided to flirt in front of her shamefully. “Just give me a few minutes. I want to finish this.”

“Alright,” Airi nodded, taking a brief look at the paperwork the other girl was pointing. “Come and see me at my office when you’re ready.”

Rena watched as Airi was about to turn on her heels and felt the sudden need to ask her one particular question. Something had been nagging her for a while and witnessing her assistant impossible flirty behavior with Akane prompted her to finally voice her concern. “Doesn’t it… bother you? Seeing Jurina-san flirting with everyone, especially with your wife?”

“Absolutely not,” Airi replied seriously, much to her surprise. “It’s mostly light teasing, and Akane doesn’t mind. Besides, you can tell the women enjoy the attention they are getting.”

“She never flirts with me,” Rena murmured without thinking. As soon as she realized the words she had blurted out, she widened her eyes in shock and looked away in discomfort. For a minute, she hoped her friend had not heard her, but soon discovered it was only wishful thinking on her behalf.

“No, she doesn’t,” Airi conceded, and Rena didn’t miss the amused smile forming on her lips. “Why do you think that?”

“I have no idea,” Rena admitted her ignorance. On one hand, she wasn’t feeling particularly at ease broaching such a subject but on the other, she felt relieved finally getting it off her chest. And who better could she talk about it than with a trusted friend? A friend who had also apparently well noticed this difference of treatment she was being subjected to?

“And I think I’m getting paranoid lately,” Rena frowned, remembering vividly a few strange occurrences. “I’m under the impression she purposely flirts more with Akane because she knows I can see her from here. It’s stupid, isn’t it?”

Rena looked up in expectation to her friend, hoping she would state that it was indeed only a figment of her wide imagination. Why would her assistant be doing that anyway? It made no sense whatsoever to her. However, she couldn’t ignore the fact the younger girl glanced in her direction quite often when she happened to visit Akane’s desk.

“Of course, she’s doing it on purpose,” Airi chuckled softly, shaking her head in disbelief. “I adore you Rena but sometimes, you can be really clueless.”

“What?” Rena exclaimed. She searched her friend’s eyes for an explanation to her cryptic words, but Airi never elaborated. Instead, the latter left the room without adding another word, even though Rena certainly didn’t miss the amused smile back on her lips as she closed the door behind her.

Rena didn’t know how long she stared at the door in bewilderment, trying to process the very curious conversation she just had with her friend. Evidently, there was a message she was trying to convey, but her mind failed completely to decrypt it. Rena looked down to the documents in front of her in the intent of resuming her work, but soon discovered she had a hard time focusing on the task at hand. Indeed, Airi’s last words kept repeating in her head again and again.

Why did her friend stipulate she was being clueless? What did Airi apparently believe she was missing?

 

* * *

 

 

“Oh no, it’s raining.”

Rena turned her head to her left when she heard the familiar voice sounding next to her. It was already 8 p.m. and just as she was about to leave the building to go home, she had noticed the rain falling in abundance through the front door. Once again, Rena knew she had taken the right decision by not trusting the weather forecast and placing her mini-collapsible umbrella inside her handbag. However, it appeared her young assistant – who was now standing next to her and watching the rain falling outside in concern – had not taken such precaution.

Rena pondered over her declaration, and knew by the light, dark blue vest she was wearing she would be drenched in a matter of seconds if she decided to step outside right now. If she wished to stay dry, she had no other choice but to wait for the rain to stop. And, considering how heavily the rain was currently falling, Rena guessed she would have to wait for quite some time.

“You can walk with me if you want,” Rena suggested. “Where are you going?”

By the startled look she received, Rena could tell her assistant was definitely not expecting her to make such an offer. However, her surprise progressively made way to a genuine, pleased expression. “That’s very nice. The closest subway station would be great.”

Rena nodded and opened her umbrella, the younger girl stepping immediately underneath it when she made her way outside. Rena started moving towards the direction of the nearest subway station as instructed, taking in how her assistant was being very quiet beside her. The girl was usually very talkative with her female co-workers, but not when it came to her. It was an aspect of her behavior she didn’t understand, along with her reluctance to flirt with her.

As they walked silently in the streets, Rena realized it was the first time they found themselves completely alone outside of the workplace. If truth be told, she rarely went out with her co-workers, except for the monthly dinner at a restaurant organized by Airi for all employees of floor 22. Rena didn’t particularly feel at ease during those social events, but still felt obligated to attend.

In fact, there were only two people she felt close enough to consider as friends: Akane and Airi. Akane was a long-time friend, whom she had met when she was still studying at University. As of Airi, she was one of the first persons she hired when she decided to create this special division on floor 22, a year ago. Between her best friend Akane and the new Human resources manager, it was love at first sight. Six months after meeting each other, they were tying the knot.

Until now, Rena had kept silent when she saw her assistant flirting with Akane overtly and surprisingly, it appeared neither Akane or Airi minded the girl’s actions, passing it for something quite innocent. But what if it wasn’t? What if her assistant really had genuine feelings for Akane and no one warned her it was a wasted effort? For a long time, Rena promised herself she wouldn’t broach this particular subject with her assistant, not willing to meddle in her personal life. However tonight, she decided not to keep quiet any longer.

“There’s something you need to know about Akane-san,” Rena started hesitantly, almost not believing she was going to have that conversation with the younger girl. She had to keep repeating herself that it was the right thing to do, in order to continue. But how could she announce her the news without hurting her if she happened to really have feelings for her best friend contrary to Airi’s belief? In the end, she figured it was best not to beat around the bush and simply be honest. “She’s… she’s married to Airi-san.”

Silence enveloped them after that, and Rena wondered if she hadn’t made a big mistake by bringing up such a topic. Her assistant was still very quiet, and Rena felt too ill-at-ease to look back at her. Did she hurt her? “I…”

“I know,” her assistant interrupted her before she had time to formulate a semblance of an apology. “I like Akane a lot, but I’m interested in someone else.”  

Rena tilted her head towards her in surprise, unconsciously slowing down her steps. Her assistant’s confession came completely out of nowhere and Rena felt slightly destabilized, not knowing what to make of it. And what about this shy, but still serious look she was now giving her? Rena waited, sensing she wanted to say more. Indeed, the younger girl opened her mouth a few times as if she meant to add something else, but in the end no other words left her lips.

Rena looked back to the street in front of her when it became clear she wouldn’t elaborate, trying to figure out what her assistant was trying visibly to tell her. The younger girl had always acted quite timid around her, but right now she could tell she was more agitated than usual. Evidently, something was troubling her, and she found herself willing to know what it was.

She didn’t have time to ask. They had already arrived at the subway station in no time, but the younger girl didn’t seem in a hurry to leave her side. In fact, she glanced back and forth a few times between her and the subway station as if torn, until she finally kept her eyes on her steadily. “Are you doing something tonight, Rena-san? I want to buy you dinner.”

Rena didn’t often find herself speechless, being naturally a very composed and eloquent person. However, her assistant’s unexpected offer certainly managed to take her off guard. Despite her assistant’s eyes firmly set on her, she could read easily the apprehension mixed with expectation in them. Rena could tell it had taken quite an amount of courage from her to utter such bold words.

They were currently standing in the middle of the street and received a few curious looks from bystanders who were coming in and out of the subway station. However, Rena ignored them, looking straight into her assistant’s brown orbs. There was a sudden glint of determination in her alluring eyes, and she knew the younger girl wouldn’t move an inch until she received a reply.

All of a sudden, her previous cryptic words made complete sense. It wasn’t just a friendly invitation, as she initially believed. No, it was much more than that. And as she linked her declaration with her assistant’s past behavior, she understood what Airi tried to explain her in her office.

As the head of Matsui corporation, Rena had certainly been courted by many men in the past. Most of them approached her for her wealth; a few were more genuine with their feelings. However, never once did she respond positively to any one of them. For a while, she believed her lack of interest originated from her entire focus on her work. Since her father left her sole heiress of Matsui corporation, she barely had little free time.

Now, Rena realized what had been going under her nose recently, and what her assistant was expecting from her. Rena never denied the fact she found her attractive. She believed so from the very first moment she laid eyes on her in that elevator, when she didn’t even know yet that very drenched girl would be joining her team. And by the sound of her beating heart, she already knew the answer she would be giving her.

Rena didn’t know if this would work, but she wanted to give her a chance. In fact, it was the first time she considered letting someone enter her life. “I’m free. Where do you want us to go, Jurina-san?”

“You are?” Jurina’s eyes lit up in joy, and Rena couldn’t help smiling at her genuine reaction. She could literally see the relief spreading across her face. “Follow me, I know the perfect place.”

Rena nodded and obliged, noting the way her assistant immediately became more relaxed and talkative as she led the way. In fact, the tension between them had dissipated in a matter of seconds, as if it had never been there in the first place. Rena laughed softly when her assistant suddenly made a funny joke and found herself enchanted by the charming smile she was sending her. Rena simply knew their relationship would never the same anymore after today.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Jurina jolted awake when she suddenly heard music sounding in her bedroom. Despite her sleepy mind, it only took her a few seconds to recognize the familiar tune: _Oki Doki_. Released in 2011, it was one of the biggest hits of a Japanese idol group pretty popular at the time. Usually, Jurina enjoyed very much listening to old songs – _Nostalgia_ being one of her favorite radio stations **–** but right now, she was having a hard time matching her mood with the joyful lyrics of the song. Not only was she still feeling terribly sleepy, she was having a hard time understanding why her humanoid robot had set her alarm clock on a Saturday morning.

“Alfred,” Jurina mumbled, refusing to open her eyes despite the persistent music. This was a terrible mistake, and she needed to warn her robot so she could fall back asleep. “Can you please stop the music? It’s the week-end. I don’t have to go to work.”

A small white head suddenly emerged from the right side of the bed, and two blue eyes looked back at her instantly. “It’s Friday, mistress. You have to be at work in 55 minutes.”

Jurina let the revelation sink in and fluttered her eyes open, frowning back at him in confusion. “W–What?” she let out in a small, groggy voice. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, mistress,” the little robot affirmed. “It’s 7:06 a.m. now. You are six minutes late on your schedule.”

Jurina stared at the 48 inches’ robot for a few, pregnant seconds, as if to measure the sincerity of his words. Despite the intense gaze, Alfred didn’t flinch and remained as stoic as before. Realization progressively hit Jurina. Even if her mind was still inclined on believing it was Saturday, her robot had to be right for one simple reason. Alfred, her intelligent and faithful humanoid robot, never lied.

Jurina straightened up in bed in alert, her heart now beating a bit faster inside her chest at the unexpected news. She had to go to the office this morning, and she better had to hurry if she didn’t want to be late. Since she started working at Matsui corporation a month ago, she had never been late a single time. She was adamant on keeping things this way.

“Thank you, Alfred.” Jurina patted affectionately the top of the robot’s head as she took a seat by the side of the bed to face him, “I don’t know why I believed it was Saturday. I was sleeping so well.”

“You came back late yesterday,” the robot reminded her. “It probably explains why you’re feeling more sleepy than usual, mistress.”

Jurina nodded, a smile inadvertently moving to her lips as memories of the dinner with Rena submerged her mind. She had enjoyed herself very much in the company of the older girl and could definitely state that this first date was a great success. The first one of a long list? Jurina really hoped so.

“May I bring a certain subject to your attention before you get prepared?” The robot manifested his presence once again. “It will only take fifteen seconds of your time.”

Jurina noted the hesitation in his metallic voice, and she gazed back at him in concern. “Yes, of course. What is it?”

“Last night, you repeated something in your sleep,” the robot announced. “It was so unusual, that I took the liberty to record it. Do you want to listen to it?”

Jurina widened her eyes at the revelation. That was new. In twenty-four years, she never talked in her sleep once. Curiosity got the best of her, and she indicated the robot to proceed. “Alright, play the recording.”

The robot complied and Jurina listened attentively, soon recognizing the sound of someone sleeping peacefully. A few seconds went by and, as Jurina didn’t hear anything suspect, she wondered what on earth her robot was referring to. Just as she was about to question him, a name started falling from her lips in the recording.

_Rena-san… Rena-san..._

Jurina flushed at the familiar name, not believing what she was hearing. Her robot was right! She really talked in her sleep! And, from what she could hear, had been mumbling the name of her employer a few times last night.

“P–Please stop the recording,” she stuttered, looking away in discomfort. The recording stopped at once, but it was already too late. The memory of what she had surprisingly uttered during her sleep was already ingrained in her mind. 

“It continues during four more seconds,” the robot indicated. “Don’t you wish to hear the rest?”

“No, that’s fine.” Jurina shook her head, still feeling too embarrassed to face her robot properly.  “I was… probably just having a dream. Please erase this recording.”

Jurina stood up from the bed and moved towards the bathroom, hoping a nice shower would help her forget about what she just heard. No, it was definitely no news to her that she had feelings for her beautiful employer, but the thought that she had said her name during her sleep – and repeatedly – was somehow a bit… disturbing.

Jurina caught the sound of the robot’s small feet following her on the floating floor and, as she was about to close the bathroom door behind her, her gaze fell on him as he was now looking at her from the doorstep. His head was slightly inclined to the right, a pattern Jurina observed always happened when he didn’t understand something.

“You dream about your employer, mistress?” the robot asked, his metallic voice pitching up slightly.

Jurina froze at the innocent question. She strongly believed the matter to be over the moment she asked her robot to erase the recording, but it was without taking into account his insatiable curiosity about the things surrounding him. Until now, she enjoyed this aspect of his program, as she was always keen on sharing every bit of her knowledge with him. However, as she was now faced with such a personal question, she seriously considered making a few adjustments to his program.

“I work a lot with her,” Jurina replied, trying to sound as calm and nonchalant as possible. Her robot was very good at deciphering the fluctuations in people’s voices, so she wanted to make sure he didn’t notice she was hiding part of the truth to him. “It’s not unusual to dream about the people you spend time with.”

The robot didn’t say anything, and she guessed he was currently analyzing what she had just stated. Not willing to let him time to possibly ask another question, she bent over and patted his little head. “Now, please let me take a shower or I’m going to be late.”

Jurina took a step back and closed the door, waiting a few seconds in expectation in case her robot would manifest himself another time. To her relief, she didn’t hear his metallic voice after that.

 

* * *

 

 

After taking a quick shower and a light breakfast, Jurina was finally ready to leave her apartment. A brief look at the time told her she was right on time, and she knew she made the right decision by cutting her time under the shower by half. As she was putting her shoes on in the hallway she took a curious peek at her robot standing in front of her, realizing he had not spoken a single time since he mentioned her unusual dream earlier on.

She frowned at the strange occurrence, her robot being anything but silent in the morning. For a moment, she wondered if there was something wrong with him. Should she check his program? Since she bought him three years ago, she never had a single problem with him. Alfred was a very intelligent and fast-learning humanoid robot that functioned properly. Never once did she have to fix him.

“Alright Alfred, I’m leaving for work,” Jurina addressed the robot that was still staring at her, completely silent. “Take care of the apartment while I’m gone.”

The robot produced a small noise of agreement and inclined his head a few times but didn’t speak for all that. This time, Jurina seriously got worried by his strange attitude, and she pondered checking his program quickly before leaving. She still had a few minutes’ left. However, she didn’t have time to put her thoughts in action that the robot spoke up when she the least expected.

“While you were in the shower, I analyzed the recording three times,” the robot revealed. “You said your employer’s name in a dreamy voice, which means you were having a pleasant dream. I arrived to the conclusion that it means you like her. Am I correct?”

Jurina stared at the robot in shock, not believing he was bringing up this topic again. Was he merely being genuinely curious? Because it awfully like stubbornness, a trait of character her robot should never had developed. Moreover, his words made her realize he had not erased the recording as she instructed him to. Her trusted robot never disobeyed her before. Not once. What was going on with him?

Jurina seriously considered brushing it off and leaving without answering but felt slightly bad leaving his question unanswered when he was gazing at her with such an expectant look. She took a deep breath and kneeled in front of him. “Yes, I like her. She’s the person I went out with yesterday evening.”

A joyful sound emitted from the robot, and Jurina was caught off guard when he clapped into his small white hands a few times. “Well done, mistress! Does it mean she’ll be coming here soon? Do I need to prepare the apartment for her arrival tonight? Do I need to have flowers delivered? Do I need to order a special meal?”

“W–What?” Jurina exclaimed, overwhelmed by all the questions coming one after another and having a hard time understanding her robot’s unpredictable excitement. She had only acknowledged her feelings for Rena in the hope it would satisfy her robot’s curiosity enough so he would finally let it go, not so he could jump the gun. “Alfred, calm down. It was only our first date. Rena-san is not coming here tonight, so please don’t do anything.”

“But there will be other dates,” the robot continued with his train of thoughts as if she had never spoken. “I’ll prepare the apartment just in case.”

“Alfred!” Jurina tried to stop her robot, much in vain as he had already turned around, and was now moving towards the living room. She stood up at once and pondered going after him but, as she heard her watch ringing, realized she was now running out of time. She didn’t have time to deal with this situation right now, otherwise she was really going to be late for work.

“Alright, you can clean the place,” Jurina relented, noticing her robot’s eyes back on her as he was now paying attention to her again. “But please don’t order anything.”

Jurina waited expectantly for her robot’s reaction, hoping he would be satisfied enough with her offer. For an unknown reason, her robot seemed convinced Rena was going to come here tonight, and she didn’t have hours to explain him how human relationships worked. Still, she needed to limit the damage at all costs before leaving her apartment. She certainly didn’t wish to see flowers everywhere or the table dressed up for two when she came back from work.

“It will be done mistress,” the robot nodded. “The apartment will be tidied up perfectly when you come back.”

Jurina let out a small sigh of relief, and she shot him a smile of gratitude. “Thank you, Alfred. Now, I really have to go.”

“Have a nice day at work, mistress,” the robot said as he walked back towards her. “Please alert me if you change your mind and I need to prepare anything for tonight.”

Jurina patted her robot’s head when he arrived at her level, amused by his thoughtful attention, and to a certain length his incredible tenacity. Her fingers were already on the handle of the front door when she heard her robot addressing her again.

“Wait, mistress…”

Jurina tilted her head towards him in curiosity, but the second warning coming from her watch told her she didn’t have any second left. “Sorry, Alfred, but I’m going to be late. See you tonight.”

The door closed on the robot who never had time to finish his sentence, and he glanced sadly at the forgotten umbrella in the basket near the front door. The weather forecast had announced rain this morning. Her poor mistress was going to get wet.

Again.


	3. Chapter 3

Jurina was starting to wonder if the odds were not truly against her. The sun was shining brightly over her head when she stepped out of her apartment, and it was now pouring hard as she was making her way to the office. Had she done something terribly bad in another life? Because she certainly didn’t remember doing anything wrong in this one that justified what she was currently going through. No, she was not going to be late – which was of course an undeniable relief – but she was unfortunately going to be completely drenched by the time she arrived at the office. The disturbing prospect didn’t appeal to her in the least.

“Why didn’t Alfred warn me about the rain?” Jurina muttered under her breath. She was desperately trying to dodge the drops, protecting her head as best as she could underneath her black, leather jacket. _That’s because he was obsessed with my ‘dream’, it messed up his program,_ Jurina mused in frustration as she finally saw in the distance a familiar 25-floor building. _I absolutely need to do something about it when I go home tonight._

Jurina quickened her pace, more than relieved when the golden plate indicating _Matsui corporation_ finally appeared. She exchanged a polite few words with the familiar guard, before hastily making her way in. Jurina removed her black jacket from over her head, wincing when she noted its terrible state. She loved that leather jacket more than anything. It would probably take all day long to dry.

Jurina ran her fingers through her hair, realizing her jacket ended up doing a better job than she expected as her hair was still mostly dry. That was a small but not insignificant consolation considering that – after taking a look at herself – the rest of her appearance was a total mess. Jurina moved forward in the hallway, hearing her watch emitting a sound. A quick glance at it told her she still had five minutes left.

The 24-year-old girl walked decisively towards the elevators, sending a smile to the two women at the reception on her way. Usually, she would go up to their desk and take a few minutes to chat a little with them, but she knew it was not an option this morning. However, even if she met their eyes very briefly, their amused reactions certainly didn’t go unnoticed. One thing was for sure: her terrible appearance was entertaining them quite a lot.  

Jurina pretended not to see anything to focus on her objective, and she entered in the first elevator that was just about to close, knowing she didn’t have the luxury to wait for another. She wasn’t late yet, but it didn’t mean her time wasn’t limited. Her eyes widened in surprise when she stepped in and noticed that it was already occupied by one person. Someone she hadn’t stopped thinking about for the last nine hours. 

“Rena-san… Hi.” A broad smile plastered her face at the unexpected view of her employer. The woman who was only two years older than her was wearing a black trench coat – the belt still carefully closed around her waist – along with a matching pair of long leather boots. It didn’t take long for Jurina to observe that her hair and clothes were perfectly dry, and she concluded she had been much more cautious than her when it came to the weather. Somehow, it didn’t really come as a surprise to her.

“Hello, Jurina-san.” The head of Matsui corporation returned the smile warmly, but Jurina didn’t miss her concern as she scanned her from head to toe. “You’re wet. Did you forget to take your umbrella?”

“Alfred didn’t warn me about the rain,” Jurina lamented, not liking one bit the terrible view she was offering, especially to her employer. When she noticed the latter’s puzzlement, she realized she was missing a crucial piece of information. That’s right. She had not mentioned him during their dinner last night. “Alfred is my humanoid robot.”

“Oh… I see,” Rena murmured. “I don’t have a robot.”

Jurina didn’t blink at the statement. She remembered indeed the older girl mentioning at some point during their dinner her certain dislike for excessive technology. It appeared the head of Matsui corporation was not particularly fond of what society had progressively become. A society that, according to her own words, was gradually losing its humanity. In fact, Matsui corporation was one of the last companies in the country that still had a large proportion of human employees.

Was it part of the reason why this time machine project was so important to her? Because, in a way, she was still more turned towards the past, and interested in what it still had to offer?

Jurina would lie if she said she didn’t share her view on more than a few matters. She herself remained sometimes a great nostalgic of the good old days. In fact, it had taken her quite some time before making the decision to acquire a personal humanoid robot. When it came to Alfred, it was a choice she never regretted. Not only was he a very advanced and intelligent robot, his company was greatly appreciated when she went back to her apartment after a long day of work. She couldn’t imagine her life anymore without the little robot that shared her life those last three years.

Jurina jolted out of her reverie when she noticed that the older girl was still giving her clothes her preoccupying look, and she sent her a reassuring smile when their eyes met. “Don’t worry, I have clean clothes at the office. I’ll change when I arrive.”

It was a precaution she had taken after the unfortunate incident that happened a little more than a month ago, a decision that she couldn’t possibly regret now that the past had unfortunately decided to repeat itself.

“Do you remember our first meeting?” Jurina asked, recalling every single detail of that morning in particular. Oh yes, the situation had definitely been very embarrassing to her when she crossed path with that women she had – at the time – no idea would become her future employer, but it was also somewhat a fond memory. Because it was the very time she stumbled upon that person who would end up becoming so important to her eyes.

 “I do,” Rena confirmed, finally tearing her eyes away from her appearance to focus her attention on her. “You had also forgotten your umbrella that day and were a bit… wet.”

“You mean I was completely soaked from head to toe,” Jurina corrected, a bit amused the older girl was still trying to be polite by minimizing the facts. “You were so respectful and nice; despite the terrible view I was evidently offering.”

“It wasn’t… terrible,” Rena started, but knew her tone was far from convincing when her interlocutor arched an eyebrow in a mix of amusement and skepticism. “Alright,” she conceded with a light smile, “it was not the best way to make a first good impression for a job interview.”

“I looked terrible.” Jurina leaned her back against the wall behind her. A small sigh escaped her lips, and she watched distractively the numbers of the floors changing as the elevator was progressively leading them to floor 22. “I still don’t understand why you hired me,” Jurina admitted, still somewhat amazed by the positive outcome of that day. “In your shoes, I would have thought twice.”

“You had the best résumé amongst all candidates,” Rena stated. “Which reasons did I have to hesitate?”

Jurina glanced back at her. Oh no, it was certainly not the first time someone praised her impressive résumé. She had heard the compliment falling from many employers’ lips in the past. However, this time it was different. Different because it was this person in particular who was saying those words, and it moved her more than with anyone else.

“Thank you.” Jurina smiled sincerely. “Thank you for giving me a chance.”

Jurina didn’t look away a single time as she uttered those words, hoping deep down the other girl would understand the message she was really trying to convey. Of course, she was more than grateful to have been given the opportunity to work on this incredible project, but there was another hidden meaning behind her words.

“Rena-san,” she started, a certain question now threatening to fall from her lips. She had had such a good time the previous evening in her company, that she wished to reiterate the experience at all costs. However, for an unknown reason, the offer refused to come out. Yesterday, she managed to fight her nervousness effectively and ask her employer out. So why was she unable to do it again right now?

Oh yes, her employer was a very unique and special woman. In fact, she had never met anyone like her before in her entire life. Not only was she a very hard-working woman – _Matsui corporation_ was one of the leading companies in the country – she had a certain charisma surrounding her that made her seem almost unreachable. Rena Matsui was impressive. Why else did she wait so long to ask her out otherwise?

She was going to suggest a second date, Jurina had no doubt about that. However, the current look she was now giving her – both very attentive and expectant – was not really helping in calming her nerves. Her heart was now throbbing at the prospect of what she was about to ask and for a minute, she wished the older girl didn’t have such an impact on her. Never before in her life did she find herself such at a loss for words when it came to asking someone on a date.

“I had a very good time last night.” Rena was surprisingly the one to break the silence between them. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“I…” Jurina was momentarily caught off guard by what she just had uttered. Yes, she could tell the older girl had indeed enjoyed herself last evening – some emotions simply couldn’t be faked – but there was nothing so pleasant as getting the confirmation by hearing the words out loud. “I’m glad,” she continued with a smile, feeling a sudden regain of courage after Rena’s encouraging statement. “Would you like… to go out with me again some time?”

“Of course,” Rena nodded softly. “I would love to.”

Jurina didn’t know if it was because she was ecstatic at the positive reply, but her heart was now beating uncontrollably inside her chest. Maybe that explained why she didn’t think about what she was really saying when she made enthusiastically her next offer. “What about dinner tonight?”

Jurina froze instantly when she finally realized what she had blurted out. Tonight? What on earth was she thinking? It was obvious the older girl was going to refuse! She was going way too fast! Just because she had surprisingly agreed yesterday to a first date – and it had gone so well – didn’t mean she should jump the guns! She absolutely needed to right the wrong immediately.

“No, I didn’t...” Jurina tried desperately to come back on her words when she noticed the older girl’s speechless expression, but only ended up stuttering foolishly like a kid. She was so ashamed of what she had dared to stupidly suggest, that she couldn’t even look her in the eye anymore. “Of course, not tonight. I meant…”

“I don’t mind tonight,” Rena’s assured voice brought her attention back to her. “It’s just that I have a meeting until 8 p.m. Isn’t it going to be too late?”

Jurina stared at her in incredulity. Did the older girl really agree to her invitation so fast and… easily? She studied her carefully as if to try and assess if she didn’t mishear, but the older girl didn’t look hesitant at all.

“I don’t mind waiting,” Jurina replied when she finally found her voice back. She was still having a hard time processing the fact her offer had received an unpredictable positive reply, but she was definitely not going to let this opportunity pass. “I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

 

* * *

 

 

It was almost 9 p.m. when Rena finally left the conference room at floor 11 and walked towards the elevator. Her thoughts went towards her young assistant as soon as she got in and pressed hurriedly the number 22. When she went into her meeting at 7 p.m., she strongly believed it wouldn’t take more than an hour. In the end, it had taken twice that time. Rena didn’t appreciate it when events took such an unexpected turn, and she immediately had sent her assistant a text when she realized her meeting was going to take longer than planned.

Much as she was looking forward to their second date, it was unconceivable to her to make her wait any further. It was already quite late, and she had no idea how long this meeting was still going to take, considering a few unexpected issues had suddenly been brought up halfway through. That’s why the first thing she did was to apologize in her text, before suggesting to postpone their dinner to another day.

A few seconds later, she received a short reply on her phone. _That’s alright. I’ll wait._

The answer startled her a little, but she chose not to insist. Of course, it touched her immensely that the younger girl was so kindly willing to wait a little more for her, but unease progressively filled her chest when she saw time passing by, and the meeting showing no sign of ending anytime soon. Yes, she had the power to put an end to it anytime if she wished. After all, she was the CEO of this corporation. However, she couldn’t possibly cut short this meeting in particular. It was too important. And to top it all, her presence was absolutely required until the last minute.

When she stepped out of the elevator a few minutes later, she strongly hoped that – even if her assistant had not warned her about leaving – she had changed her mind and agreed to her suggestion. It was terribly late. Apart from the people participating at the meeting, everybody had already left the building ages ago.

What she saw as she walked in floor 22 confirmed her doubts. Her assistant was still very present, and the last occupant of the entire floor. It appeared her long day of work managed to get the best of her, as her head was now resting on top of her desk. Rena couldn’t help but feel guilty at the scene she was witnessing, knowing she was partly responsible for it. Of course, her assistant didn’t listen and waited. She was looking forward to their second date as much as she was.

Rena reduced the distance with her assistant’s desk and murmured as she leaned over her sleeping form. “Jurina-san…”

Despite the calling of her name the younger girl didn’t bulge, her eyes remaining tightly shut. Rena took a seat in the chair next to her, her attention drawn to the screen facing the sleeping girl. Her assistant was still working on the plans of the time machine when she fell asleep.

Once again, Rena got the confirmation that Jurina was truly a committed person when it came to her work. How many times did she hear her wishing to stay a bit later at the office to work on the time machine? Rena could tell she enjoyed working on this project very much. Jurina thrived on challenges. Many believed Rena was trying to accomplish the impossible. Building a time machine? A foolish dream!

Not Jurina. In fact, she had never seen anyone display so much passion during a job interview. Never did Jurina believe this project was going to fail, despite all its unknown parameters. No, she was incapable of saying when the time machine would be operational, but she never doubted once in her capacities to succeed. And her unfailing motivation was a driving force for all the scientists and employees working on floor 22.

Dedication was a trait of personality Rena definitely appreciated when it came to her employees but when it came to her assistant, it went a little further than that. Jurina wasn’t just very competent and professional, she was also incredibly stubborn. And it appeared her stubbornness didn’t only apply to her work, but also to her personal life.

Rena’s eyes fell back on her assistant, and she swept over her sleeping form. Jurina could behave like a real tomboy when she started to flirt with the other women of the floor, which was actually amusing considering she was actually a very feminine girl in the first place. Her jet-black hair that fell just underneath her shoulders. Her long eyelashes. Her delicate features and flawless skin. The dimples that appeared at the corner of her mouth when she flashed one of her most beautiful smiles. Was it truly a surprise that many people – men and women included – felt attracted to her the very moment they laid eyes on her?

“Do you realize the effect you’re having on me?” Rena whispered as her contemplation seemed to reach no end. She had completely fallen under the charm of her assistant. This feeling was definitely strange to her, considering she had never meddled with matters of the heart before. As long as she remembered she had always been an introvert lonely girl, preferring focusing on her books and studies than on casual flings.

After her father’s sudden death, she got completely invested in the company. Yes, she got sometimes asked on a date, but she always politely declined. Not only wasn’t she interested in the prospect, she didn’t believe to have enough time for something serious anyway. When her best friend Akane unexpectedly got into a relationship with her new Human resources manager, she observed them interacting with a certain curiosity.

Akane and her were similar on so many aspects, whether it was their way of thinking, or personality wise. Never once did Akane mention her desire to get involved with someone. In fact, she never dated anyone during their years together at university. That’s why she couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw the improbable development of her relationship with the woman named Airi she had recently hired as her new Human resources manager.

They clicked immediately and didn’t even try to make their romantic relationship a secret. Even if they had tried, their affection for each other would have been obvious to anyone. A simple look at them was enough to deduce that they were madly in love with each other. Rena didn’t always know how to react when her friend spoke about those strong feelings she harbored for Airi. At first, Rena even believed it was just a simple crush, and it would quickly go away. She couldn’t have been more far away from the truth.

Now, Rena was starting to catch a glimpse of what her best friend had described to her all these months. She and Jurina had only been on one date yet, but there was no denying it had gone extremely well. It had been so pleasant, that she didn’t see time passing by in her presence. Her assistant was very handsome – there was no doubt about that – but the attraction was not mere physical. There were so many aspects of her personality that she found appealing. Intelligence, wit and kindness were just a few of them. A smile unexpectedly grazed her lips at the fond memory of their first dinner together.

Rena extended her arm on the table to reach for Jurina’s hand, knowing she needed to wake her up. She didn’t truly have the heart to do so – especially when she looked so peaceful in her sleep – but she didn’t have much choice in the matter. Encircling her fingers gently she squeezed them lightly, waiting for a reaction.

This time, the action did have the desired effect as Jurina progressively stirred and her sleepy eyes fell on her. Rena found it a bit comical the way they first gazed at her in confusion, before widening in realization when her young assistant saw who was sitting next to her.

“Rena-san?” she spoke up in a groggy voice, straightening up in her seat. “Did I fall asleep? What time is it?”

“It’s already very late…” Rena retracted her hand, before shooting her a concerned look. “I told you to go home. Why didn’t you?”

“Because I told you I would wait,” Jurina answered matter-of-factly. “I always stick to my words.”

“I can see that,” Rena smiled warmly.

“We still have time to go to a restaurant if you wish,” Jurina suggested hesitantly after checking the time on her computer. “I’m afraid my reservation has been cancelled by now, but I’m sure we can find a few good places.”

She had made a reservation? Rena widened her eyes slightly at the revelation. On one hand, she couldn’t help feeling guiltier now about her tardiness but on the other, she was deeply moved by her assistant’s thoughtful attention. “Alright,” Rena agreed, smiling a little when Jurina’s eyes lit up immediately. “But this time, I’m inviting you.”

A frown fell upon her assistant’s face, and Rena guessed she was about to protest. However, she didn’t give her time to add a single word as she hastily placed her index against her lips. “I won’t change my mind on this subject, so don’t even try.”

The decisive words definitely took her assistant off guard, considering she stared back at her in utter surprise. For a minute, Rena wondered if she was going to insist. However, even though it appeared her assistant was having a hard time accepting her offer, she still nodded after a little while. Satisfied, she removed her finger, only to feel her assistant catching her hand and pulling onto her arm softly.

They had never been so close before, but the sudden unexpected proximity didn’t put her ill-at-ease. Rena didn’t know how long they looked into each other’s eyes. Jurina truly had a magnetic effect on her, and she could feel herself gradually getting lost in her alluring brown eyes. The thought of resisting never crossed her mind when she leaned forward the moment after.

Rena relished the pleasant sensation of her assistant’s light breath caressing her skin, and she read easily her affection for her in those eyes that were not leaving hers. Her intention was easy to guess when she noticed her eyes falling briefly on her lips.

Even if her assistant had been bold enough to make so many first steps, she was hesitant to proceed with her next action. Rena wanted nothing more than to reassure her that she had nothing to fear. The desire was mutual; they both wanted the same thing. Even if she had never done anything like that in her entire life, there was no use denying what her heart truly yearned for.

The words left her lips naturally. “Kiss me, Jurina.”

Rena fluttered her eyes close when she felt fingers cupping her cheek tentatively, and her heart skipped a beat when a pair of lips captured hers in a tender kiss.


	4. Chapter 4

Rena brought them to an Italian restaurant located in a quiet, isolated street of Tokyo. From the outside, the restaurant surely didn’t attract attention. The black wooden façade was plain, and quite simply decorated. The name of the restaurant, _Il Giramondo,_ was carved in white letters on the right side of the door, just above an inscription in Latin: _Tempore superiore reversus_. Jurina frowned a little, failing completely to understand what it meant. Now, she really wondered why the older girl had decided to bring them here for their second date. Apart from that curious inscription, the place looked quite ordinary on the outside. Could the food be the reason for Rena’s choice? One thing was for sure: Jurina was not prepared for what she was about to discover on the other side of that door.

Jurina followed the other girl in, her eyes widening when she took in the unexpected interior decoration. One minute ago, they were still standing in the modern Tokyo of 2050, and now she felt like she had suddenly been magically transported back in time to Ancient Roma. If truth be told, she had to blink a few times to make sure her sight was not deceiving her. What was that incredible place?

The first thing that caught her attention were the colored, incredibly detailed frescos decorating the large walls of the restaurant. On one of them, Jurina recognized easily Diana goddess of the hunt, with her familiar bow and quiver. Represented in the middle of a forest, a deer was holding his head high, and standing proudly beside her.

On the following fresco was depicted her ephebe twin brother and the god of music, truth and prophecy; Phoebus. Sun shining brightly behind his head, he was wearing a long blue cape on his shoulders, his blond, curly hair floating in the air as he was riding a golden chariot pulled by four majestic white horses.

The Roman frescos were not the only thing that provoked Jurina’s awe. Perfectly sculpted marble statues of Roman gods also ornamented alcoves in the decorated walls. And what about the impressive Roman pillars raising in the air, up to the ceiling representing the all mighty Jupiter laying in a bed of clouds?

The decoration was so magnificent, that Jurina was at a loss for words. How come she never heard about such a beautiful restaurant before? Right now, she felt quite privileged standing in such a majestic place. The change of scene was complete, and the contrast very sharp with the modernity of Japan’s capital.

“Welcome Matsui-san. It’s always a pleasure,” a man elegantly dressed in a black tuxedo addressed politely the head of Matsui corporation from behind a desk. “The usual table?”

“Good evening, Enrico. Please,” Rena nodded, before diverting her attention to the girl by her side who had stayed quiet since they entered the restaurant. She smiled knowingly when she noticed her gazing around in admiration. That was a look she was very familiar with. The first time she had entered _Il Giramondo_ , she had immediately fallen in love with it. 

“Let me check if it’s available.” The Italian receptionist looked down to his screen momentarily, before gazing back at her with a smile. “It is. Please follow me.”

 

* * *

 

 

“You should have warned me it was a fancy restaurant,” Jurina murmured once they took a seat at a table located in a quiet area of the restaurant. “I feel a bit… undressed.”

Rena laughed softly at her somewhat embarrassed look. “Don’t worry about it. You’re perfect just as you are. I’m not especially dressed for the occasion either.”

A waiter was waiting patiently a little further away, and Jurina now recalled the older girl had called him by his name upon her arrival. It was now obvious to her that she was very familiar with this place. “You come here often.”  

“I’ve eaten here more than a few times over the years,” Rena confirmed. “Not only the food is excellent, I find the atmosphere of this restaurant enchanting.”

“I can understand that.” Jurina let her eyes travel around the place again. Somehow, she was still having a hard time tearing her eyes away from the incredible view offered to her. Even after taking a good look at her arrival, she still noticed some details she had missed the first time. The reconstitution work was impressive. “This is…”

“Fascinating?” Rena offered, smiling a little at Jurina’s dreamy look. “I understand how you feel. No matter how many times I’ve been here, this place still has a profound, emotional impact on me.”

“My great-grandfather was an archeologist,” Rena’s gaze swept around the room, her voice softening slightly as fond memories invaded her mind. “When I was still a child, he would sometimes bring me with him on excavation sites. I admired his incredible patience and devotion for his work. He was a very introvert man, but I would never forget the glint in his eyes when he managed to make a discovery. It spoke louder than any word.”

“He passed on to you his passion for History.” Jurina’s eyes widened in realization. “He’s the reason why this time machine project is so important.”

“A few times, I mentioned to him my desire to go back in time,” Rena nodded. “When it happened, he would just look at me tenderly. My great-grandfather was a kind and gentle man. I think he didn’t have the heart to hurt the innocent child that I was by announcing me that it was an impossible dream.”

“It may have been back then,” Jurina conceded. Twenty years ago, technology was indeed not as well advanced, even for a country such as Japan who had always been at the cutting edge of technology. As a result, her great-grandfather’s reserve was nothing but legitimate. “But not now. Your dream is anything but foolish and I’m going to fulfill it.”

Rena’s eyes fell back on her progressively, detecting the strong determination in her voice. Jurina’s unfailing motivation never ceased to amaze her. Yes, she had a great team of very competent scientists, but nothing compared with Jurina’s incredible dedication to this project. “I know you are doing everything in your power to build this time machine,” Rena murmured, reaching across the table to take her hand. 

Her assistant’s good intentions were definitely acknowledged, and this since the very first day they met. However, Rena couldn’t ignore a little voice at the back of her head. A voice that was constantly reminding her not to foolishly get her hopes up. She wanted to believe in the success of this project, but she had to be realistic: no one had ever accomplished such a thing before. There was a possibility that despite her team and Jurina’s best efforts, it might not work out.

“Jurina…” she spoke up, squeezing her hand lightly. “No one believes in this project more than I do. But if it unfortunately doesn’t work, I will accept it and won’t hold it against anyone. Especially not you.”

“Listen to me.” Jurina shook her head in disapproval. “Failure is not an option for me. No matter how long it takes, I’m telling you I will finish the plans of this time machine. You will go back in time: this is a promise.”

Rena stayed quiet, guessing nothing she could add tonight would be enough to convince her stubborn assistant. For now, she decided to relent. “Alright.”

A pleased smile plastered Jurina’s features and she responded to it, before noticing from her peripheral vision the waiter approaching their table. “May I take your order?”

Rena noted Jurina’s awkwardness as she buried her nose in the menu hurriedly, and it was not hard to figure out the waiter’s request took her completely off guard, and she still had absolutely no idea of what she was going to eat. It was not that surprising, considering they hadn’t taken a look at their menu a single time since they took place at their table, too engrossed in their conversations and busy admiring the decoration around them.

“I think we need a little more time,” Rena addressed the waiter when a few seconds went by and Jurina still hadn’t replied. “Can you please come back in a few minutes, Angelo?”

The waiter nodded and was about to turn on his heels, but Jurina’s voice stopped him in his tracks. “That’s fine, I’ll choose,” she declared, gazing at Rena from her menu. “What do you recommend me?”

“The Jumbo shrimp and zucchini risotto is delicious,” Rena replied without an ounce of hesitation. Frankly, she could have advised the whole menu, but she always had a soft spot for the restaurant’s specialty. “That’s what I’m going to take tonight.”

“Then I’ll follow your lead,” Jurina closed the menu, decided. “Two risotto, please.”

They engaged in a casual conversation after that, but soon got distracted when a vase of red roses was suddenly placed carefully between them. Rena was puzzled by the unusual gesture, and she gave a questioning look to the receptionist who had brought the bouquet and was now smiling at them warmly. “Compliments of the house. Please enjoy your dinner.”

“I understand why you like this restaurant so much,” Jurina murmured once he left, admiring the beautiful, fresh red roses. “They know how to treat their loyal customers.”

Rena didn’t say anything, but she couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that this gift hadn’t been placed on their table for the sole purpose of thanking her. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if the attentive staff hadn’t read the atmosphere between them and deduced this was a romantic dinner. It would definitely explain why they choose this type of flowers in particular, as well as this meaningful color.

 

* * *

 

 

It was almost midnight when they left _Il Giramondo._ Rena didn’t miss the small droplets of water falling and she gazed up to the dark sky. It didn’t truly look like it was going to rain heavily tonight – she even figured this misty weather wasn’t going to last – but she nevertheless placed her umbrella above their heads.

“Thank you for inviting me,” Jurina said as soon as they started walking away. “I really enjoyed it.”

“I’m glad,” Rena replied, her mouth tugging into a smile when she distinguished the enthusiasm in her assistant’s voice. “This place never leaves anyone indifferent.”

“Well of course, it’s a great restaurant,” Jurina admitted. “But I was mostly talking about the company.”

Rena stopped when she felt fingers encircling hers gently around the handle of the umbrella. The moment after Jurina was leaning forward, and she closed her eyes when she felt soft lips kissing her. The kiss was very chaste, just like the one they had exchanged a few hours ago at the office but this time, Rena was glad there was not an ounce of hesitation between them.

They broke the kiss after a little while, but Jurina didn’t leave her personal space for all that. “I like you Rena,” she uttered, her eyes never leaving hers. “I really like you.”

Rena’s heart pounded inside her chest, and she trembled lightly when she felt fingertips caressing her cheek gently. No, it was not the first time someone confessed their feelings for her. She had had more than a few suitors in the past. However, never such words managed to put her in a flutter before. Rena could feel herself progressively changing day by day. And she knew her new assistant had provoked those unexpected emotions within her.

Could she go back now that she had caught a glimpse of what her friend Akane had described? Did she want to?

Rena pressed her lips against Jurina’s, the kiss soon deepening when Jurina snaked an arm around her waist. Yes, those new feelings were still sometimes somewhat a bit overwhelming, but she couldn’t ignore how she felt. Rena Matsui was never one to hesitate once she strongly knew what she wanted. And right now, she had one absolute certainty: even if she tried, she wouldn’t be able to separate herself from the girl who shared the same surname.

Because she had already found a place in her heart.


	5. Chapter 5

It was just a usual busy day for the CEO of Matsui corporation, as Rena was currently going through some important paperwork she needed to get over with by the end of the morning. A very simple task in her daily routine, except for the fact that her mind was not exactly set on the documents in front of her, instead distracted constantly by the thought of a 24-year-old beautiful girl who happened to be her assistant.

She had now been on two very pleasant dates with Jurina, and the latter had even boldly confessed her feelings for her the evening before. This morning, when they found themselves luckily alone in the elevator leading to floor 22, they had demonstrated again their mutual attachment with caring words and few affectionate kisses. It had already been two hours since their last contact, but the memory of Jurina’s soft lips against hers was still very much vivid.

Realizing she was unfortunately not as focused as she should be Rena decided to let her work aside for a minute, and she lifted her gaze in curiosity to check what her employees were up to. Her eyes lit up when she was pleasantly surprised to notice a new presence in the office. Indeed, Jurina was now standing just behind Akane, both women engrossed in a conversation. Rena took advantage of her assistant’s arrival to observe her at length, warmth spreading through her chest at the view of the girl who had been a bit too much on her thoughts this morning.

Given Jurina’s serious expression, Rena could easily guess they were discussing important matters, most certainly related to the advance of the time machine. Much as Jurina was capable of having very light and trivial conversations during coffee breaks, she had the faculty to focus back on her work without difficulty as soon as she joined her desk again. Her incredible capacity to change mood with such ease still managed to amaze Rena after all this time.

Rena progressively lost track of time, the seconds giving way to minutes without even her noticing. It wasn’t until Jurina took a step back from Akane’s desk, that she understood she had been staring at her the whole time. Rena shook her head lightly at her own behavior, knowing she shouldn’t get so distracted when she had so much work to do.

Just as she was about to finally focus back on her paperwork, their eyes unexpectedly met across the room. The young assistant already had her fingers clutching the doorknob of the office, ready to leave, but she glanced at the last moment towards Rena’s direction. A warm smile instantly moved to her lips to which Rena responded, suddenly wishing she didn’t have that late meeting tonight. She was really looking forward to spending more time with her after work.

In fact, she wasn’t sure when they would be able to go on a date in the near future. Her company had won a few important contracts these last months, resulting in long days of work and very little free time for herself. As a business woman, Rena knew she couldn’t complain: her company had never been so healthy and successful. However, the success of her company had evident consequences on her personal life.

Until now, Rena didn’t really mind how time-consuming her work was; the company had been everything to her these last few years. However, things had evidently changed when Jurina entered the picture. Rena didn’t regret in the slightest engaging herself in this new relationship. Jurina had provoked something within her she refused to ignore. Emotions no one had ever been able to make her feel. Rena was very much aware of her busy schedule, but she wanted to find time for Jurina. Because she believed her to be completely worth it.

Even though her assistant had now left the office and was now out of sight, it still took her a few seconds to tear her eyes away from the place she had last seen her, to finally set her attention on her paperwork. It took a couple more seconds to completely brush away Jurina’s image from her mind, and she was satisfied when she knew she was finally able to focus on the task at hand. However, her respite was only short as she was startled to hear a soft knock on the door, and the familiar face of her best friend appearing in front of her.

Rena had desperately been trying to concentrate on her work again, but a sincere smile nonetheless naturally fell on her lips at the view of her best friend. It progressively vanished when she noticed Akane’s strange behavior, and she frowned slightly. Indeed, the latter was now closing the door behind her very carefully – as if the make sure no one could overhear their conversation – and grinning from ear to ear. Rena wondered why her friend was behaving so oddly, and she watched her in confusion as she took a seat in front of her the moment after.

“So… you and Jurina are a couple?”

Rena widened her eyes in shock, utterly speechless. She processed what her friend had just uttered, wondering how it was possible for her to know about that. Her second date with Jurina had only occurred last evening, and she didn’t have time yet to tell her best friend about the positive development in their relationship. Somehow, she didn’t believe Jurina would have spilled the beans either. “H–How do you know?”

“I wasn’t completely sure, but now I am,” Akane smirked, proud of herself for making the CEO fall into her trap and confess the truth so easily. “Jurina has been acting weird all morning, not flirting with me or anyone else. At first, I thought maybe she was sick or something, then I realized there could be another plausible reason for her unusual behavior. I assume your second date went very well, then?”

“Yes, it did…” Rena admitted with a smile. There was no use denying it, now. After two successful dates, a few kisses exchanged and a confession, Rena couldn’t deny how she felt about her young assistant. Their feelings for each other were definitely mutual.

“Rena,” Akane murmured, moved when she saw her friend glowing with happiness. Without second thoughts, she reached across the table to take her hand. “I’m so happy for you. Jurina is a nice person. I wish you both the very best.”

“Thank you, Akane.” Rena squeezed her fingers in return. “We’ve only been on two dates, but I really like her. She’s smart, funny and very kind. I want this to work, but it’s only the beginning yet.”

“It will work,” Akane stated with assurance. “And before you know it, you’ll be blissfully married and have little children running around the house.”

Rena let out a small laugh and shook her head in amusement. “I know you and Airi tied the knot very fast, but I want to take my time. Besides, I don’t know if Jurina wishes any of those things… I don’t know if I even want them myself. I never… I never considered any of that before.”

Akane noticed her friend’s pensive expression, understanding perfectly well why she was being cautious. After all, it was her very first relationship. What she was currently experimenting was completely new to her, and probably still a bit overwhelming at times. Rena and her were both very similar personality wise, and she could almost imagine what was going through her head right now.

“I see the way Jurina has been looking at you for the past month,” Akane spoke up, catching her friend’s attention. “Her feelings for you are sincere, and I can tell she makes you happy.”

“She does,” Rena whispered, and they shared a knowing smile.

After that, they exchanged a few other words, before Akane stood up from the chair in the obvious intent of leaving. Rena glanced down to her paperwork again, until noticing out of the corner of her eye that her friend was still standing in front of the closed door and had not left the office yet. Out of curiosity, she looked up, wondering if she wished to add something else.

“Ah, I completely forgot to tell you,” Akane chuckled softly as she turned around. She had been so distracted by her friend’s new love life, that she had completely left out an important information about herself that she wished to share with her this morning. “I’m soon going to need a leave of absence.”

“Is everything alright?” Rena felt suddenly a bit concerned. Akane had not mentioned lately her desire to go on vacations, so she feared the worst. “Are you sick?”

“No, nothing like that,” Akane quickly reassured her with a rapid wave of the hand. “This is good news; very good news.”

Akane’s enigmatic words only served in increasing her perplexity, until realization progressively hit her when Akane went to place her palm over her stomach. “It worked?” she exclaimed excitedly, only to see her friend nodding with a smile. “You are expecting!”

Rena got up on her feet instantly and made her way around her desk hastily to pull her best friend into a hug. “Congratulations! You and Airi are going to be wonderful parents!”

Akane returned the embrace tightly, laughing a little at her friend’s overflowing enthusiasm. Well, it was not every day you could provoke such a reaction in the so-collected CEO. “Thank you, Rena. It means a lot coming from you. We just got the confirmation this morning.”

“Have you picked up a name, yet?” Rena pulled away, her eyes flickering frequently towards the still very flat stomach of her best friend.

“We are thinking of calling her Shizuru,” Akane replied, entertained by the amusing sight offered to her. Rena now seemed completely obsessed by her stomach, even though it was not showing one bit. “And I’m sure our child will soon want a nice friend to play with...”

Rena distinguished easily the light teasing in her friend’s tone, and a smile moved to her lips. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything.” She shook her head lightly, before letting out small sigh in content. Her best friend was going to have a family. It was truly the best news of the day. “Take all the time off you need. This new life growing inside you is more important than anything else in the world.”


	6. Chapter 6

_Three weeks later._

Jurina was pacing back and forth in her living room, only stopping now and then to take a nervous look around. Tonight, Rena was visiting her place for the first time, and she wanted to be sure everything was perfect. Lately, they both had been very busy with their work. Rena often had late meetings or business trips, whereas Jurina stayed late at the office to progress on the plans of the time machine.

They had been seeing each other a few times after work, but never the opportunity to invite Rena at her place had truly presented itself until now. After almost one month of dating, Jurina believed it was the right time. All that she needed was to find a date that both fitted their busy schedules – clearly not an easy task – and they ended both agreeing on this Saturday evening.

Jurina checked the time on her watch for the umpteenth time, realizing the other girl should now arrive at any moment. Just as she was about to check one last time that everything was well in order for her arrival – you could never be too cautious – the small voice of her humanoid robot distracted her.

“Mistress, you’re behaving strangely this evening,” Alfred affirmed as he came to stand in front of her and gazed at her curiously. “Are you sick? Do you need medicine?”

Jurina looked down to him, too engrossed in her thoughts until now to even realize his presence. She frowned at him in confusion. “No, I’m perfectly fine. Why are you saying that?”

“It’s now the third time you’re checking everything is right in place,” the robot reminded her. “If you’re not sick, then does it mean you don’t trust Alfred?”

“Of course, I trust you,” Jurina reassured him quickly, now realizing the wrong impression she had given her trusted little robot. Alfred had been some great help these last two hours – helping tidying the apartment and preparing many things for her dinner with Rena – and obviously believed he had been doing something wrong as she had scrupulously double-checked everything behind him.

It was not that she doubted her robot’s work – far from it – but as she wished everything to go without a hitch for this special evening, she was being extra cautious. “You were perfect, Alfred,” Jurina continued when it was clear by her robot’s worried look that she had failed to convince him. “You have nothing to worry about. It’s just that I want everything to go well tonight.”

“Why wouldn’t it go well?” Alfred tilted his head slightly to the side as he always did when he didn’t comprehend something, his big blue eyes never leaving hers. “Mistress likes Rena-san, and Rena-san likes mistress. Nothing can go wrong.”

“You’re right,” Jurina conceded with a small nod. Deciding she had done enough pacing for the evening, she walked towards the sofa to take a well-deserved seat, her little robot following her closely by. She looked up to gaze at her faithful companion standing in front of her again, knowing deep down his logic made perfect sense. Still, apprehension refused to leave her completely, and she knew she simply couldn’t do anything about it. Some emotions simply couldn’t be controlled. “But you see, it’s normal to feel a bit anxious when you invite for the first time to your place someone who means a lot to you.”

Jurina hoped her explanation would satisfy her robot’s curiosity, but knew she failed miserably when he was still staring at her with a questioning look a few seconds later. She searched in her head a better way to explain things but ended up letting out a despondent sigh when nothing came to mind. Alfred may be a very intelligent and evolved robot, there were still many things that escaped his understanding. The complicated nature of human relationships was definitely one of them.

The sound of someone ringing at the door suddenly distracted her and she stood up in alert, understanding her guest had just arrived. Anticipation built up at the pit of her stomach, and she went to open the door. Her mouth tugged into a broad smile when she locked gaze with the 26-year-old woman standing on her doorstep: Rena Matsui. The person she could now proudly say was her girlfriend.

Their lips met as soon as Jurina closed the door behind them and she pulled her closer eagerly, Rena’s arms slipping naturally around her neck. They hadn’t seen each other all day, and Jurina couldn’t ignore that she had missed deeply the soft sensation of Rena’s enticing lips against hers. Jurina certainly didn’t consider herself as a clingy girlfriend, but her employer had such a magnetic effect on her that if was sometimes very hard to stay away from her.

Their lips never parted as they renewed their affection with gentle kisses, neither of them showing any sign of wanting to break apart quite yet. Jurina relished the contact of their lips brushing slowly against each other, as well as the feeling of Rena’s warm body carefully secured in her arms. Jurina fluttered her eyes open at the sound of Rena whispering her name softly, and warmth spread through her chest when the older girl ran her fingers through her black shoulder-length hair affectionately.

The gesture prompted Jurina to press her further against hers, and she smiled into the kiss when she heard the other girl giggling softly in reaction. She gave Rena one last lingering kiss before pulling away, just enough to sweep over her form in appreciation. The 26-year-old girl was wearing her familiar black trench coat, along with matching long leather boots. Ah yes, the weather forecast had indeed announced rain for today, Jurina now recalled. However, she was a little startled to discover that her appearance was not as neat as usual.

Her long, black hair was still perfectly dry, but her coat showed sign of having met the rain at a few places. An amused smile moved to her lips at the incredible view, and she couldn’t help but tease her a little. “You got a little wet.”

“I did,” Rena conceded and Jurina’s smile broadened at her slightly embarrassed look. “Lately, it happened more than I would have expected.”

Delight was still dancing on Jurina’s lips when she took a step back to let the other girl remove her coat, but soon noticed that her eyes were not set on her anymore. Indeed, something seemed to be monopolizing Rena’s attention behind her back, and she turned around to discover what it was. A few feet behind her was standing silently the one and only Alfred.

“Rena.” Jurina shot her robot an amused look when she saw how curiously he was looking at their new guest. “Let me present you my humanoid robot, Alfred.”

“Hello Alfred.” Rena approached and kneeled in front of him, giving him a kind smile as she shook his small white hand carefully. “Nice to meet you.”

Jurina arched an eyebrow when her robot surprisingly didn’t reply to the friendly greeting. Alfred had always been a polite and well-behaved robot, so his silence made no sense whatsoever. He had never acted this way before. Could there be a problem with his hearing? Because his sight surely seemed to work quite fine, considering how intensely he was now staring at their guest.

Just as Jurina was about to address him to check if everything was alright, Alfred unexpectedly spoke up. “Mistress Rena…”

Jurina couldn’t believe her ears at the dreamy tone in his metallic voice. That was definitely something she had never heard before since she acquired him three years ago. Now, Jurina was positively sure of it. Her robot was not being himself at all. And it strongly appeared that it was the presence of their new guest that had managed to trigger all those unusual reactions in him.

“Please don’t hesitate if you need anything,” her robot continued, his big blue eyes never leaving those of Rena’s as he held her hand back tightly. “I’m at your entire service.”

Jurina met Rena’s hesitant look as she tilted her head towards her, and she could tell she was taken aback by her robot’s sudden strong will to be totally devoted to her. Rena had no idea how to react, her mouth opening and closing a few times without managing to reply anything as her eyes flickered back and forth between Jurina and the robot.

The small robot still refused to let go of her hand, and Jurina couldn’t help but smile at the amusing scene she was witnessing. Well, it seemed Alfred had completely fallen under the charm of their new guest. To be honest, she did wonder how Alfred was going to react when meeting her employer for the first time. In the end, it appeared she had nothing to fear.  

“Alfred,” Jurina intervened and patted gently the top of his head when he showed no sign of wanting to separate with Rena. “Can you go and prepare the food?”

The pair of blue eyes that had been captivated by the woman kneeled in front of him finally paid attention to her. For an instant, Jurina wondered if he was going to obey, considering he didn’t move an inch. It would definitely be the first time her robot wouldn’t follow one of her orders but after witnessing his unexpected behavior tonight, anything was possible. Thankfully, Jurina didn’t have to repeat herself as he produced a small sound in agreement soon after and his little mechanical fingers let go progressively of Rena’s hand.

Finally released from his hold Rena raised herself to her feet, her eyes following the robot that was drawing away and walking hurriedly towards the direction of the kitchen. “Your robot is quite special,” Rena murmured pensively. “Why did he call me ‘mistress’?”

“Ah, that…” Jurina really wished she had not caught up on this. Even though it had surprised her to hear him utter such words – she was the only person he had ever called in such a way – she was starting to get an idea of what was probably going inside her robot’s head. Somehow, she wondered if Alfred was not persuaded that their guest was not just a passing visitor but on the contrary, would soon become a permanent resident.

She didn’t believe to have said anything to give him such an impression, but at times her robot almost seemed even more eager than her when it came to her relationship with Rena. Besides, it was the only reasonable explanation Jurina could come up with to explain the use of this word in particular. Domestic robots were programmed to call their masters – and only them – by this specific term. Jurina didn’t feel particularly at ease sharing her robot’s disillusion with Rena so she decided to play it safe, even if it meant telling a small lie.

“I have no idea why he said that, but Alfred is a little robot full of surprises,” she replied, making sure her words sounded assured enough to conceal the truth. Judging by Rena’s reaction, it appeared her explanation had satisfied her enough. Indeed, she didn’t detect an ounce of doubt in Rena’s small brown orbs when she turned to give her a smile.

 

* * *

 

 

Jurina was tossing and turning on the sofa, unable to sleep. A small groan left her lips in frustration and she shot her eyes open, taking a peek at the clock on the wall. It was past midnight. Way past her usual bedtime. So why on earth couldn’t she find sleep? Ah, that’s right. She couldn’t sleep because her head was filled with thoughts of the girl who she had invited over tonight, and who was currently sleeping in her bedroom.

Jurina closed her eyes again in the desperate intent of falling asleep, but soon realized it was much in vain. Not only she couldn’t stop thinking about her beautiful employer, she didn’t feel sleepy in the slightest. Pushing the bedcover aside she took a seat on the sofa, wondering if she shouldn’t try and find an occupation, in the hope that the activity would tire her enough to put her to sleep after a little while.

While thinking of a potential activity that could do the trick, Jurina’s keen hearing progressively perceived the sound of little feet moving on the floor. She looked up in astonishment when she discovered her dear Alfred now standing in front of her. Despite the fact that the apartment was plunged in darkness, she could see him very well thanks to his glowing large, blue eyes.

“Can’t sleep, mistress?” the little robot asked in concern, raising his left arm and presenting to her the content inside his hand. “You can take this sleeping pill if you wish. You’ll fall asleep instantly.”

Jurina smiled at her robot’s thoughtful attention but shook her head, despite recognizing indeed the efficacy of the blue pill he was showing her. With that powerful pill – great invention of the last decade – you could fall asleep in less than ten seconds, without any side effects. Under other circumstances, she would have seriously considered his offer. In fact, she had already used that miraculous pill dozens of times in the past.

Tonight, she decided to pass. Somehow, she hoped for sleep to naturally claim her. “Thank you, Alfred, but I don’t want to use it. I just need to find another way to occupy my mind.”

At those decided words Alfred nodded and closed his small mechanical hand but didn’t leave her side for all that. Instead, he addressed her again tentatively. “Can I ask you a question, mistress?”

Jurina frowned a little, wondering what her robot could possibly want to ask her. Alfred had always been a very curious robot and she enjoyed this aspect of his program, but it was already past midnight. A time very unusual for a series of questions. Now, Jurina noticed something even more strange: Alfred was still on. Alfred always disconnected every day at 11:30 p.m. sharp in order to recharge his batteries.

Why had he not done so yet? Jurina had no idea why her robot was breaking his usual pattern, but she had to admit the distraction was appreciated for once as she couldn’t find sleep anyway. She gave him her full attention. “Yes, what is it?”

“Why are you not sleeping in your bed?” Alfred asked. “I’ve been trying to understand since 10:22 p.m. what logical reason you could have for offering Rena-san your bed and choosing yourself to sleep here, but I could not find an answer in any of my programs.”

Slightly caught off guard by his question, Jurina leaned back in the sofa and pondered over what to reply. Until now, Jurina never minded her robot’s curiosity. After all, there were so many things he couldn’t possibly know, nevermind how advanced his program was. However, it seemed that Alfred really liked asking impossible questions lately. At least, it definitely felt this way to her as she found it more and more difficult to answer.

“Rena is my guest,” Jurina replied in a low voice, not willing to take the risk of waking up unintentionally the girl sleeping in the other room with their improvised conversation. “It’s common curtesy to offer your guest to sleep in the best accommodation possible. It wouldn’t be considered proper to have her sleep here, on the sofa.”

Jurina left purposely out the fact that she also didn’t believe she would be capable of keeping her hands to herself very long if she shared a bed with the other girl. Alfred knew many things about herself – after all, he had shared her everyday life for the past three years – but that was definitely not something she was ready to share with him. 

Alfred seemed to meditate her reply as he didn’t say anything for a little while, but somehow Jurina could guess he was not over with his questioning. A prediction that got confirmed when his small metallic voice sounded again in the quiet living room. “Don’t you want to sleep with Rena-san?”

“Of course, I want to sleep with her,” the answer left her lips naturally, before widening her eyes when she realized how it sounded. Jurina knew very well that her innocent robot only meant it in the literal sense, but she still thought it best to reformulate. “I mean… of course I want to share a bed with her,” she corrected, relieved when it seemed by Alfred’s unfazed look that he truly didn’t catch the double meaning. “But it’s something quite… intimate. Both parties need to agree and feel comfortable enough about it.”

“Mistress has never shared a bed with Rena-san before,” Alfred stated, to which Jurina confirmed with a nod. “But I’m sure Rena-san wouldn’t mind if you joined her. After all, mistress and Rena-san have engaged in a lot of intimate activities after dinner. I even fear mistress missed most of the movie, which is a real shame as Alfred happened to find it very instructive.”

Her robot’s tone was nothing but genuine, but Jurina suddenly felt like a deer caught in the headlights. Now, she realized she had been far too distracted by her guest’s presence to pay real attention to her robot’s whereabouts. In fact, Jurina was pretty sure until now she had not seen Alfred around when she suggested a movie to Rena. She even remembered seeing him disappearing once dinner was over, when she informed him she wouldn’t need his assistance for the rest of the evening. Somehow, it appeared her humanoid robot had not gone very far, after all.

Even though she hadn’t done more than sharing kisses with Rena, the thought that her robot had seen the whole thing was somewhat a bit disturbing. Jurina was still processing the news when she caught the sound of the bedroom’s door opening slowly. She barely had time to realize what was happening that her robot’s big blue eyes grew larger, and he glanced over her shoulder in alert. Without warning her turned around hurriedly and disappeared from her sight as fast as his little feet could carry him.

Jurina followed his flee in amusement as he went to hide between two cupboards, the light of his glowing blue eyes fading progressively to hinder his presence completely. The green light located on the right side of his neck suddenly turned red, clear indication that the robot had disactivated himself.

Jurina forgot all about her loyal servant when she heard bare foot on the floor, and she gazed at Rena when she saw her suddenly appearing beside the sofa. Jurina had not a clue what prompted her to leave the bedroom at that time of the night, but she was certainly pleased by the unexpected visit.

“I can’t sleep,” Rena confessed.

The declaration caught Jurina by surprise, and she immediately shot her a concerned look. “Is something wrong? Do you need an extra blanket?”

“No, that’s not it…” Rena smiled faintly.

Jurina waited expectantly for her to develop her thoughts but frowned when she remained evasive. Rena’s fingers were tapping lightly against the side of the sofa, but her eyes were set firmly on her the whole time. Her behavior looked somewhat odd to her. Why did she say that she couldn’t sleep? Was something troubling her?

Jurina didn’t have time to question her further that she saw the older girl approaching, and she scooted further away on the sofa when she detected her intention to take a seat next to her. Rena found a way to her hand and slipped hers inside, Jurina giving it a light squeeze when she laced their fingers together. Jurina simply couldn’t help it; she took advantage of the welcomed proximity to press her lips against hers.

Albeit the fact the older girl was clearly responding to the kiss, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was not quite right. Rena seemed unusually tense, and she pulled away slightly to try and understand the reason. Rena was a confident woman who knew what she wanted, and never hesitated very long before making decisions. In fact, it was part of this aspect of her personality that got Jurina attracted to her in the first place. But right now, her body language was speaking louder than words. She was being bothered by something.

“This doesn’t feel right,” Rena uttered. “You shouldn’t be sleeping here.”

Jurina processed the piece of information, now starting to get a better grasp of the situation. Earlier on, Rena had not protested when she offered her to sleep in the bedroom, but her slight hesitant look had not gone unnoticed. Jurina had not thought too much of it at the time, and kindly made sure she was well settled in for the night when she turned the lights off.

Just as Jurina was about to try and explain why she had opted for this arrangement, she felt a pair of lips on hers. Closing her eyes, she felt the older girl nibbling softly on her lower lip, and she granted her wish by parting her lips. The kiss deepened at once.

Jurina snaked an arm around her waist, her fingers caressing gently Rena’s back through the thin fabric of her tee-shirt. Rena’s kisses were becoming more demanding; Jurina certainly didn’t mind. If truth be told, she always liked it when the older girl decided to take the lead: something that seemed to happen more and more recently. Was it her imagination, or the older girl was even being bolder than usual tonight?

Jurina was somewhat grateful when the older girl broke their heated kiss after a little while, enabling her to not only catch her breath, but also take a better hold of her emotions and think more clearly. A flicker of doubt made its way to her mind, wondering for an instant if it was not wiser to stop things now before it was too late. Somehow, she wasn’t entirely sure that the older girl was entirely comfortable bringing their relationship to the next level quite yet.

Jurina wouldn’t deny it; she had had a few lovers in the past. One girl in particular mattered quite a lot to her in college, so much that after two years together, she ended up imagining a possible future with her. Unfortunately, fate had decided otherwise. The girl she trusted the most in the world ended up preferring the comfort of another pair of arms, breaking her heart in the most terrible way.

Jurina knew Rena’s feelings for her to be genuine, but she couldn’t ignore the fact that she was experimenting all those emotions for the first time. The CEO had recently told her more about her past and confessed that this was her very first relationship. The news certainly came as a surprise to her, but she didn’t mind her inexperience. She had already fallen far too deep for her to care any less.

Jurina jolted out of her thoughts when the older girl extracted herself from her embrace and stood up slowly from the sofa. She gave her a curious look when Rena extended her hand the moment after. “Come. I refuse to let you sleep here.”

“Rena…” Jurina whispered, torn about her next move. A part of her wanted to raise to her feet and accept the invitation, but another was not completely sure they were on the same page. Refusing to let any form of misunderstanding come between them, she decided it was best to be completely honest with her.

“I really want to follow you,” Jurina admitted, the pull to take that offered hand becoming harder to resist as the seconds went by. “But I’m not sure we are both ready for the same thing.”

Silence enveloped them, and Jurina felt a small pang in her chest when she saw the older girl retracting her hand. To her, it was an evident sign that she had understood her intentions and was rejecting them. Despite it, she still forced a smile, not wishing to be alarmed by it. After all, it had only been one month. It probably only meant she needed to be a little more patient. Where was the rush, anyway?

“I’m sorry,” Rena murmured.

Jurina shook her head firmly at her, refusing one second to let her feel guilty about it. “Don’t be sorry. It’s completely fine.”

“No, that’s not why I’m apologizing,” Rena smiled a little. “I’m apologizing because I shouldn’t have let you sleep here in the first place.”

Jurina didn’t have time to process her words that the other girl was taking her hand, and giving it a light, but decided tug. The invitation was renewed and this time Jurina followed her willingly, intertwining their fingers as the older girl led her slowly to the bedroom.

As soon as the door closed behind them their lips connected, and they took time to remove each other’s clothes. Once no more piece of clothing was separating them anymore, they slid progressively under the sheets. Jurina didn’t miss Rena’s body trembling slightly under her touch as she made her way on top of her and she smiled a little, moved by the unusual vulnerability displayed.

It didn’t matter how confident Rena proved to be on a daily basis, especially when she assumed the role of CEO of one of the leading companies in the country. Right now, she was in unknown territory; Jurina guessed it had to be somewhat unsettling to her. Jurina cupped her cheek, her fingertips caressing her skin delicately. She was more than conscious that nothing she would do or say would manage to erase her apprehension entirely; the moment was too anticipated to achieve such a miracle.

However, it didn’t mean she wasn’t going to do everything in her power to make sure she kept the most pleasant memories of this important moment of her life. It was the first time Rena was completely giving herself to someone else; and she had chosen her. Jurina was well aware that this relationship was still very new, but she refused to ignore her instinct. She had truly found her person in the presence of Rena Matsui.

“You can trust me, Rena,” Jurina whispered, reading easily the emotion shimmering in those beautiful small brown eyes staring at her. “I will always be faithful to you.”


	7. Chapter 7

Jurina jolted awake when she heard the radio suddenly playing in the bedroom, but she nevertheless stubbornly refused to open her eyes. It was not that she was still feeling very sleepy. On the contrary, she had had a very good night sleep. However, her body was somewhat reluctant to leave the comfort of her bed, even less the embrace of her girlfriend sleeping by her side. It only took a few seconds for Jurina to recognize the old song playing on the radio, admitting that Sinatra’s lively song resonated within her.

_I've got you under my skin_

_  
I have got you, deep in the heart of me_

_  
So deep in my heart that you're really a part of me_

_  
I've got you under my skin_

Oh, yes. Rena had truly managed to get under her skin. She and Rena had been together for six months now, their relationship taking a step further when she moved in Rena’s house a little more than a month ago. Despite being located in Denenchofu – one of Tokyo’s wealthiest residential neighborhoods **–** it wasn’t as modern or robotized as you could expect. In fact, Denenchofu was a very quiet and green residential area, void of the excessive technology you could easily find in Tokyo and other surrounding wealthy suburbs.

Jurina didn’t regret leaving behind her apartment in Ginza. Not only didn’t she consider herself as a materialistic person, she had only started to occupy the place when she got hired by Matsui corporation. Before that, she would constantly move from one place to another, depending on the location of her next job.

Jurina always was a person who valued punctuality above all but this morning, she had decided she didn’t wish to get up quite yet. Reaching blindly for the object that had disturbed her sleep she put an end to the music at once, the bedroom plunging into a pleasant silence anew. Jurina didn’t detect any sound or movement behind her, so she concluded the alarm-clock had not woken up the CEO yet. Believing she could afford a few more minutes of sleep she made herself comfortable in Rena’s arms again and started to drift off.

However, her keen hearing soon didn’t miss the sound of the mattress shifting slightly, and she realized her previous predictions were all wrong when she caught the sound of a familiar, soft murmur. “We should get up if we don’t want to be late…”

Despite her girlfriend’s reminder that today was indeed a day of work and they couldn’t stay lazily in bed as they sometimes enjoyed doing on the week-end, a small smile fell on her lips in content when a tender kiss was placed on her cheek. How could she get out of bed when she was currently feeling so relaxed? A little voice inside her head was taunting her to find a clever way to buy herself more time.

“I think…” Jurina pondered over what to reply to persuade the other girl effectively, “I think my employer will be lenient if I arrive a few minutes late.” 

Jurina didn’t have to wait long to get a reaction, a small laugh sounding behind her the moment after. “You seem very confident. Why do you believe your employer will make an exception for you?”

Jurina distinguished easily the light teasing in Rena’s voice and she turned around to lay on her side and face her, her eyes falling onto a pair of small brown orbs that she adored so much. She connected their lips for a morning kiss, before sweeping over Rena’s form in appreciation. From her slightly pale face to her long black hair falling down her shoulders, Jurina found herself enchanted again by her natural beauty. Even at 8 a.m. in the morning with a sleepy face, she still looked perfect to her.

Underneath the bedsheet, Jurina wrapped her arm around her waist, her eyes wandering to the V-neck red night dress Rena was wearing. It was the first time she was wearing it at home, as the older girl had bought it only last week-end during a short but fruitful session of shopping. A session during which Jurina had no difficulty confessing how beautiful she looked, when Rena asked for her opinion in interest.

In fact, a part of her wanted to go even further in the compliment by stating the close-fitting satin nightdress was highlighting perfectly her girlfriend’s slim curves, but she thought it best to keep such thoughts to herself in the presence of the female sales assistant. No, Rena didn’t just look beautiful; she looked sexy. At some point, Jurina wondered if her admirative expression didn’t betray her thoughts. Indeed, she surely didn’t miss Rena’s amused, knowing look when she went back inside the fitting room to change.   

Going back to the present time, Jurina studied her lover’s expression as she let her palm travel down the surface of the nightdress. There was no denying how much she appreciated the sensation of the soft, silky fabric underneath her fingertips. However, what caught her attention the most was the familiar gleam progressively appearing in Rena’s small brown orbs.

Jurina smiled inwardly at the pair of eyes now staring intently at her lips, not surprised when they got captured the moment after in a lingering kiss. For a while, she paused her exploration to focus on the feeling of Rena’s enticing lips, noting in amusement that she surely didn’t seem in a hurry to get out of bed now. Well, maybe she was a bit at fault for that, Jurina conceded, when she resumed her descent of her lover’s body, and sneakily slipped her hand beneath the nightdress. After all, wasn’t she the one who had provoked the whole thing?

A first, she felt contented with just caressing her leg, her palm gliding over the bare skin of Rena’s thigh next, but she soon realized it was not enough. She absolutely needed more access, and as such couldn’t help but pull upwards the nightdress. It was very hard to keep her hands to herself in such a situation. Rena was simply too attractive. The pull to revisit her body and map her skin with kisses and caresses was strong to resist, even more when the older girl was certainly not trying one bit to calm her fervor.

Rena’s kisses kept getting bolder and more passionate, their tongues brushing against each other in a small fight of dominance. While she still had an ounce of lucidity Jurina quickly searched in her mind if the CEO was supposed to have a meeting this morning, but she unfortunately couldn’t quite recall the latter’s exact schedule for the day. In the end, she didn’t even need to ask, as it was the older girl who unexpectedly broke the kiss.

“I think we can be a little late,” Rena’s husky but decided voice affirmed, Jurina not having time to reply as the older girl was already leaning forward to nibble on her earlobe playfully.

Jurina grinned and relaxed instantly, realizing she just got the answer to her question. Did Rena have the capacity to read her mind? Because lately, it surely looked like she could read her like an open book. No, the CEO had no reunion to attend, nor was she being expected. Otherwise, she certainly would have stopped her gently, and wouldn’t be proceeding with her current ministrations with such enthusiasm.

Jurina claimed her lips once again, not waiting any longer to tug at the waistband of Rena’s underwear, and slid her fingers underneath. Heat spread out from her lower abdomen when she got in contact with her girlfriend’s most intimate part and discovered how much the latter had been affected by her touch. Detaching herself from Rena’s lips she gazed back at her, noting the feverish desire burning in the usually so collected small brown orbs.

It was all the invitation she needed to remove Rena’s nightdress and panties, and she listened to Rena’s soft moans filling the air as she started to make love to her.

 

* * *

 

  

When Jurina walked down the stairs to have breakfast, the first thing she noticed was Alfred gazing at her with an upset look at the bottom of the stairs. Her personal robot didn’t even greet her politely as he did every single morning, instead staring at her silently for a few, long seconds. Jurina frowned at his peculiar reaction, wondering what she could have possibly done to trigger such a negative reaction in her domestic robot.

Jurina caught the sound of familiar footsteps descending the stairs a few seconds later, and the arrival of the second mistress of the house finally prompted the little robot to speak up, even though his gaze remained firmly on the younger one. “You are late, mistress,” Alfred affirmed. “I prepared breakfast fifteen minutes ago, but you didn’t come down.”

“Oh, we…” Jurina started in unease, now understanding the reason for her robot’s disappointment, and trying to find an astute way to justify their tardiness while obviously leaving a few details out. “We didn’t hear the alarm-clock. I guess we were really sleeping soundly.”

“That’s why Alfred should be waking you up personally,” the robot retorted. “Mistress was never late before you decided to change your morning habits and replace me with that outdated machine.”

Jurina winced, clearly seeing her robot was not pleased, and by his declaration obviously still having difficulty adjusting to certain changes in their daily life. Contrary to Jurina who easily fit in Rena’s house, not the same could be said about her devoted companion. Yes, Alfred was quite used to Rena’s presence by now and Jurina could tell by the way he interacted with her that he was quite fond of her. However, the minimal use of technology in Rena’s house disturbed the small robot tremendously.

At a very early stage of their relationship, Jurina became aware of her girlfriend’s certain reluctance to accept the excessive robotization of their society, and she had accepted that aspect of her personality very well. However, it was another matter altogether when it came to Alfred. In fact, she would always remember her robot’s disappointed look when he entered the house for the first time and discovered there was no other humanoid robot like him.

To be honest, Jurina wasn’t entirely sure if Rena would accept the arrival of the little robot into her house. After a few first hesitant and cautious meetings, Jurina witnessed in front of her very own eyes the relationship evolving positively between her girlfriend and her humanoid robot. Not only the CEO began to truly trust him as the months went by, Jurina could tell she also genuinely liked him. However, having a robot permanently at home was something else entirely.

Rena never minded the robot’s presence when she came to visit her at her apartment, even interacting quite naturally with him. But did it mean she would go as far as to accept him into her home?

In the end, Rena had not opposed any resistance when Jurina asked her if she was alright with her bringing him to her house. It took a few weeks for everyone to get accustomed to the new living arrangements, but it now seemed to be working well. Well, except for a few elements that seemed to still disturb her servant up to that day. His replacement with a simple alarm-clock being one of the issues he apparently still didn’t manage to get over.

For three years, Alfred had been the one to wake her up. Each morning, he would come into her bedroom and stand by the left side of the bed, announcing the time with his calm metallic voice. Soon after, the radio would start playing in the air softly, and Jurina had always been satisfied with their daily routine until now. However, things couldn’t be the same anymore now that Rena had entered her life.

Not only the older girl was quite attached to that old but functional alarm-clock, Alfred’s tendency to barge into the bedroom whenever he seemed fit caused a great problem. Jurina would always remember the first time he entered one morning the room, catching them in a very compromising situation. Jurina couldn’t be mad at him for walking in unannounced. For three years, he had been allowed to walk freely in her apartment, without any restrictions whatsoever.

Oh no, Alfred didn’t seem shocked or ill-at-ease when confronted with both their nakedness. After all, he had seen her naked more times that she could count. What could she say? Jurina never felt the need to be modest around him. As of Rena, it was another matter. That day, a shriek had escaped her lips at the unexpected apparition of the robot, and she had covered herself with the bedsheet in the speed of light. Jurina found the situation so comical, that she had to refrain herself from laughing when she gently asked her robot to leave the room.

After that day, Jurina knew she would have to make her robot understand that he couldn’t walk into her bedroom unannounced anymore. That evening, when she came back from work, she took a seat on the sofa to have a long chat with him. Her confused robot didn’t seem to fully comprehend the reason behind this new rule, but he accepted it nevertheless as the obedient robot that he was.

“I’m sorry that we’re late,” Rena stated, stepping in the conversation to kneel in front of the still upset robot. “We got a little carried away and didn’t pay attention to the time. We’ll eat what you prepared.”

Jurina was always amazed at the impact Rena’s soothing voice could have on her robot’s mood. One minute ago, he was staring at her in a mix of disappointment and frustration and now, his attention was entirely monopolized by the woman who had placed a gentle kiss on top of his head. That’s why she was not really surprised when his expression changed completely, and he emitted a sound of content at the affectionate gesture.

“No, mistress Rena,” he replied as he shook his little head in unease. “I refuse to let you eat something cold. Your devoted servant will prepare food in no time.”

None of them had time to argue that the robot had already turned on his heels and was walking hurriedly towards the direction of the kitchen. Jurina distinguished the amusement mixed with fondness in Rena’s eyes as she watched him drawing away, and she realized once again that she had truly accepted the arrival of this new, special member into her life.

“You know, I’m a bit jealous,” Jurina teased. “I think you’re starting to have more influence on him than I do.”

“You know you’re his true mistress,” Rena laughed softly, shaking her head in disapprobation, while keeping an eye from afar on the small robot who was busying himself in the kitchen. “You have created a unique and strong bond with him during all these years. If you were not in his life anymore, I’m not convinced he would be able to function properly.”

Jurina immediately knew what she was referring to. Yes, she had heard too about a few very strange stories. It appeared that in some rare cases, domestic robots had stopped working properly when separated from their masters. In one case, a long journey had triggered such a peculiar reaction. In another, the robot had even stopped working completely at the sudden death of his master.

Jurina had never witnessed such a behavior in person. In fact, the logical part of herself was telling her it was probably only the result of unexpected glitches in the robot’s programs, or a simple dysfunction enhanced by the late age of the robots. In all cases, the robots had been at their master’s side for a very long period of time, and it had been proved that robots worked far less efficiently once they reached their tenth year of existence.  

The idea that a robot could – due to some sort of deep, emotional connection to his master – be so affected by the separation that he would stop working, was unconceivable to her. It had to be an urban legend, made up by robot’s creators to embellish one simple truth. Robots, like any other machine in this world, could stop working from one day to the next without warning.

Oh yes, Jurina adored her little Alfred: he had been an intrinsic part of her life for three long years. He was a very sweet and cute humanoid robot that often managed to brighten up her days in the most unexpected ways, but never did she let those facts overshadow his true nature. As advanced as he may be, he remained a machine nevertheless.

“I have no intention of going anywhere,” Jurina assured, pulling the older girl into her arms. “I’ll always be by your side.”

Just as she was about to lean in to capture Rena’s lips, the sound of her robot’s voice warning them breakfast was now ready interrupted her, and she shared an amused glance with Rena when their eyes met. “And I’ll be here for Alfred too, of course.”


	8. Chapter 8

Rena didn’t know what to make of Jurina’s behavior when they made their way to the office. Since the moment they woke up, Rena could tell something was off with her assistant. Not only she spoke very few words, it was evident she was a little stressed. The CEO immediately questioned her in concern when she witnessed those signs, the latter brushing it off with a slight nervous look. Nothing serious, she assured her. This morning, she had a lot on her mind because of the monthly meeting regarding the advancement of the time machine.

Rena chose not to insist – remembering indeed the important meeting was supposed to happen this morning – even though she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t telling her the entire truth. To add to her skepticism, she recalled vividly the short but strange conversation that occurred between Jurina and her robot just as they were leaving the house. Rena was waiting patiently a few feet away for the other girl to finish her talk with him, and the very last words they shared brought a frown to her face. Even though she was too far to catch the whole exchange, she still managed to catch snatches of it and heard Jurina asking Alfred to wish her luck.

Wish her luck? But for what?

Rena’s first thought was to assume it was related to the time machine. Had Jurina managed to make significant advancements lately? An incredible breakthrough she wished to announce later at the office? Rena couldn’t fathom what else it could possibly be. At some point, she almost broached the subject but refrained herself at the last minute, guessing that Jurina probably had a good reason for not telling her yet. Maybe she wished to make it a surprise? If that was the case, then she was going to act completely clueless, and let the other girl announce it when she deemed the time was right.

This morning, the sky was cloudy and dark, and Rena was more than grateful for her mini-collapsible umbrella when droplets of water started to fall in the streets in Tokyo. It wasn’t much and she didn’t believe things would escalate further than that, but she placed nevertheless the umbrella above their heads as soon as it started to rain a little. Of course, Jurina had all-forgotten about the mixed weather when they left home. Not that she expected any less.

Jurina was a very reliable person, whether in the workplace or in her personal life. However, if there was one item Rena knew she couldn’t dispose of, it was her faithful mini-collapsible umbrella. After three months of living under the same roof, one thing became more than obvious: she absolutely couldn’t trust Jurina when it came to the weather forecast. Didn’t she pay attention, or didn’t she really care? Up to that day, she unfortunately still didn’t have an explanation.

When, a while later, they entered one of the elevators at Matsui corporation, Rena was starting to seriously doubt the credibility of her theory regarding her girlfriend’s peculiar behavior. They had a morning routine: each time they found themselves alone in the elevator – which was now the case as many people had descended at the fifth floor – Jurina wouldn’t wait to engage in a conversation, and often share a few affectionate kisses. Not this time. In fact, Jurina was keeping her distance and looking anywhere but at her – visibly finding the change of floors numbers very interesting – and appeared increasingly more restless, her fingertips tapping frequently against the handrail of the elevator.

The more Rena studied her, the more she was convinced it couldn’t be related to the time machine. Not once since the younger girl joined the company, she had seen her acting so nervous because of work-related matters. In the professional field, Jurina was a very competent and confident person. Now fearing something serious may have happened to her on a personal level, Rena couldn’t help but get really worried. Somehow, she could sense it was an important matter… But why would the younger girl hide something from her? At the very early stages of their relationship, they had promised to always be honest with each other.

Rena was at an impasse. Stealing a brief glance at the numbers, she realized they were halfway their destination. Until now, she had chosen to keep her thoughts to herself believing it was probably an innocent matter, but now she couldn’t keep it to herself any longer. If Jurina was in trouble, then she needed to know. And now.

Just as her mind was finally made up, she let out a gasp in surprise when Jurina suddenly detached herself from the wall to press a button on the control panel. The elevator obeyed to the command and stopped at once, Rena’s heart pounding fast inside her chest at the unexpected action. Immediately, she stared back at Jurina in search of answers, wondering in a mix of shock and bewilderment what prompted her to do such a thing.  

No, Jurina was definitely not herself this morning. “Jurina, what are you–”

“I have something important to tell you,” Jurina hastily interrupted her before she even had time to formulate her question.

The moment after, Rena felt a pair of lips brushing her cheek and a hand lacing their fingers together. Saying she was very confused by the whole situation would be the understatement of the year. No, she had absolutely no idea what was going on with her girlfriend. However, as she noticed the shy smile directed at her, she progressively got the feeling that – whatever Jurina was planning on telling her – it couldn’t be as bad as she was fearing earlier on.

“Do you know how much I love you?” Jurina murmured, pulling her gently into her arms.

The gesture and the affectionate words put an end to her last shred of doubt and she instantly relaxed, placing a kiss softly against Jurina’s lips. “Of course, I do. I love you too.”

The answer seemed to satisfy the younger girl as her mouth tugged into a broad smile, but Rena easily guessed there was more to it than Jurina’s wish to simply renew her affection for her. Indeed, her expression grew serious when she put a little distance between them, and her tone was solemn when she spoke again.

“Eight months ago, I arrived in Tokyo in search of an exciting new job opportunity. My goal was clear and simple: put all my abilities at the service of an incredible project, then continue on my way as soon as I would have succeeded. That’s what I’ve been doing all these years. The idea of being free from any constraints, and having no strings attached was terribly appealing to me.”

Jurina leaned her back against the elevator panel behind her, and Rena could tell by her hesitant look that she was somehow searching the right words to continue. The CEO studied her carefully, taking advantage of the interruption to process her words. Nothing she had previously uttered really came as a surprise. Rena knew about Jurina’s past, as well as her expectations. Moreover, she was aware that her current life philosophy was triggered by a certain event that occurred during her college life.

After a two-year relationship with a girl, Jurina got her heart broken when she the least expected it. That unforeseen event not only affected her deeply, it also changed her vision of life. From that day, her ambitions changed altogether. Gone was the girl who was madly in love with her girlfriend, up to the point of seriously considering following her abroad. Rena knew that Jurina had long ago put her past behind and forgiven her ex-lover for betraying her, but it didn’t stop the fact that something had changed within her after that day.

Yes, Rena was well aware of Jurina’s entire devotion to her work. She witnessed it on a daily basis and welcomed it wholeheartedly. However, as the months went by and she enjoyed her presence by her side – as a hardworking co-worker and passionate lover – the idea that the younger girl would leave once the project would be over never crossed her mind. They were happy together; at least that’s what she always thought. So why were Jurina’s last words suddenly making her question their future together?

“You make me happy,” Rena broke the silence that had settled between them. Maybe she was reading too much into Jurina’s words and nervous look. Maybe what she wanted to tell her had nothing to do with any of that. Still, she was unable to keep the concern completely out of her voice when she continued. “However, I will never stop you from doing what you truly desire. If you want to leave the company once the time machine is built, then I won’t stop you and will support your career choices. I will even help you, if it’s in my capacity.”

“What?” Jurina’s startled eyes fell upon her instantly. “No, that’s not what I meant. It’s the opposite. That’s one of the things I wanted to tell you today. Lately, I came to an important realization. Even when the time machine is finished, I don’t want to leave Tokyo. Because now, I believe I have a reason to stay. Am I wrong?”

Rena held her breath in anticipation when she felt Jurina’s fingers brushing her cheek tenderly, finding herself once again enchanted by the somewhat shy but still very charming smile directed at her. That precise smile that made it impossible for her to refuse, when the younger girl asked her on a date for the very first time. “I’m not 19 anymore. I know ‘forever’ is just a myth and doesn’t exist. But I know what I want, and what I want is you. Not for six more months, or the duration of the project. No, for much longer than that.”

Warmth spread through Rena’s chest at the touching words, her eyes following in curiosity Jurina’s actions as she suddenly slipped her hand inside her left pocket, pulling out a small, black square box. When its content was revealed to her the moment after, the CEO’s heart started to race.

That’s when everything started to make sense. Why Jurina was acting so nervous this morning. Why she had exchanged those enigmatic words with Alfred in front of the house. Why she had chosen to hold this important conversation in that place in particular. Jurina’s current nervousness was palpable, and Rena suddenly wished her girlfriend didn’t find herself so hesitant. When she kissed her for the first time, she had also given her the same apprehensive look.

“Rena… will you marry me?”

Rena didn’t think twice before claiming Jurina’s lips. She could tell the other girl was slightly startled by her impulsive action as she didn’t respond to the kiss at first, until Jurina’s lips started moving slowly against hers. Rena’s heart was now beating inside her chest uncontrollably, and she knew she was acting far from the composed person she always praised to be.

It didn’t matter, and she didn’t care in the least. Never did she expect this question to fall from Jurina’s lips. Getting married had never been one of her utmost dreams or goals in life. Oh yes, a few suitors had definitely popped the question in the past, but she had always refused as politely and gently as possible to not hurt their feelings.   

Rena Matsui never planned on getting married. Until a few months ago, she was completely satisfied with her bachelor existence and the routine of her work. She was a successful business woman, envied by many. What else could she possibly need more? But life was not a succession of events you could plan and control; it was unpredictable. And if there was one thing the CEO of Matsui corporation surely didn’t expect in her perfectly ordered life, it was to fall in love.

When Rena pulled away from the kiss and noticed the expectation in Jurina’s eyes, she knew she couldn’t delay her answer any longer. Of course, it was an important question not to take lightly, but she didn’t feel a shred a doubt within her when she replied. Spending her life with the girl who had captured her heart on a rainy day of March was all she desired. “Yes, I will.”

 

* * *

 

_A year and a few months later…_

There was an undeniable apprehension at the pit of Rena’s stomach when she stepped out of the taxi and crossed the front doors of the hospital. As soon as she had received on her phone the alarming message from Alfred, she had excused herself from the meeting she was attending and left the office instantly. All the way to the hospital, she couldn’t help re-reading the worrying text a few times, praying nothing terrible had happened to Jurina.

Mustering her best smile, she addressed the woman at the front desk politely, her racing heart simply refusing to slow down despite her best attempts to calm her nerves. Her optimistic side was refusing to assume the worst – after all, Jurina looked completely fine when she left her at the house this morning – but Alfred’s alarming message was playing tricks on her mind, telling her she absolutely needed to see Jurina to assess that everything was indeed alright.

“Matsui-san.” The woman welcomed her with a smile and, after briefly checking the screen in front of her, gave her the information she desperately needed. “Your wife is in room 222. It’s on the second floor. Please take the elevators on your left.”

Rena thanked her before turning on her heels and moving towards the corridor on her left, pressing the button of the elevator as soon as it was within reach. As she waited patiently for the elevator to arrive, she tried to reassure herself that Jurina was in good hands. This was the best hospital in Tokyo, and the staff was nothing but very competent. Albeit those facts, she couldn’t get rid of her anxiety at the unforeseen turn of events.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not today. Not this week. Not even this month!

It only took a few minutes’ walk for the CEO to reach the designated room, a reassured smile moving to her lips when she slid the door open and was greeted with the view of a napping – but visibly in good health – Jurina on the hospital bed. Concern made way to relief as she moved silently towards the center of the room, observing more carefully the resting girl once she found herself by the side of her bed.

Jurina’s features were tired but peaceful, and Rena relaxed when she realized her previous fears were unfounded. Her wife was completely fine. Deciding not to wake her up, she took a seat in the nearby chair, before reaching over to take Jurina’s hand gently inside hers. Her thoughts went briefly towards the humanoid robot that shared their daily life, making a mental note to tell him to be more careful with his choice of words next time he sent her a message about Jurina’s health. He had scared her to death!

Rena jolted out of her thoughts when she felt fingers squeezing hers lightly and saw a pair of sleepy eyes landing on her the moment after, in a mix of surprise and confusion. “Rena… w–what are you doing here?”

“You’re awake.” Rena’s mouth tugged into a pleased smile, and she immediately stood up to kiss her. “I came as fast as possible when Alfred warned me you were not feeling well and needed to go to the hospital.”

“He sent you a message?” Jurina frowned at the revelation. “I was not aware of that. When I told him about the pain, he became unusually restless and decided to take care of everything, starting from urging me to take a seat then calling an ambulance. He was acting so frantically, it almost looked like he was the one in pain, not me.”

An amused smile fell on Rena’s lips at Jurina’s joking tone, discovering she had definitely not lost her sense of humor despite the circumstances. Of course, a part of her wished she had been by Jurina’s side during that time, but fate had unfortunately decided otherwise. Thankfully, you could always count on Jurina’s devoted servant to take care of his precious mistress.

“Wait…” Jurina grew concerned as she came to a sudden realization. “Weren’t you supposed to meet the executive committee this afternoon? Don’t tell me you left right in the middle of it because of me?”

“Of course I did!” Rena exclaimed. “I didn’t know your condition. I had to see you and attest it for myself.”

“Alfred…” Jurina winced, feeling a bit guilty her robot’s actions had led the CEO out of such an important meeting. “I’m really sorry about that. I’m fine. We are both fine. I don’t know why he did that. I–”

“He did the right thing.” Rena stopped her from continuing by pressing a finger against her lips. “You’re my wife. Nothing is more important than you and your wellbeing. Besides, today is a very special day…”

The moment after, the CEO leaned forward to capture Jurina’s lips in a tender kiss, the latter immediately responding to the affectionate gesture. Alfred’s unexpected behavior fell at the back of her head, admitting how happy she felt deep inside to have Rena by her side right now. When she started feeling the pain at home, she didn’t draw hasty conclusions and stayed calm, persuaded nothing was going to happen considering how early it was.

In the end, it appeared the calendar wasn’t going to be respected at all.

A tentative knock on the door interrupted the reunion and Rena took a step back, glancing in the direction of the young nurse who had just arrived in the room. Rena’s eyes lit up when she noticed the small baby sleeping peacefully inside the nurse’s arms, emotion starting to take hold of her when she guessed the identity of this tiny human being.

Without her consent, her heart started beating a little faster inside her chest, and she simply couldn’t detach her eyes from the quiet baby when the nurse approached her with a smile. “Congratulations, Matsui-san. You have a beautiful and healthy little girl.”

Rena was caught off guard when the nurse manifested her intention to place the child inside her arms, immediately diverting her attention to Jurina with a questioning gaze. This didn’t feel right. Shouldn’t she be the one to hold the child in her arms first?

“I already held her before your arrival,” Jurina reassured her as if she could read her mind. “Come on, take her.”

This time, Rena didn’t oppose any resistance when the nurse placed the child inside her arms, listening attentively as the woman explained her the best way to hold the baby. When the nurse deemed her presence not necessary anymore she left the room, leaving a certain CEO completely mesmerized by the child resting against her chest.

“It appeared someone was a little impatient to arrive in this world,” Jurina declared amusingly, not missing out the touching interaction between her wife and their first child.  

Rena who was tentatively making acquaintance with the sleeping little girl tried to reply, before realizing she couldn’t find the right words to express the extent of her current happiness. For a little while, her eyes stayed glued on the baby barely born, thinking how precious it already looked. Without even her noticing, tears started to form in her eyes.

This baby was not only the result of the unconditional love between she and Jurina; she had also received her genes from each of them. Would she inherit Jurina’s outgoing personality or be more composed as herself? There was no way to tell what kind of person this baby would become. However, Rena already knew one thing; she was going to cherish her with all her heart.

“I have the strong feeling our Natsuki is going to be as breathtakingly beautiful as her mommy,” Jurina’s playful tone distracted her.

A smile plastered Rena’s face and she glanced back at her, soon reducing the distance between them. Carefully, she leaned forward to place the baby between Jurina’s arms, kissing the mother’s forehead in the process. “And I can’t wait to see her disarming smile,” she answered on the same light tone. “I just hope it won’t turn all the girls’ heads as her mama’s.”

“I don’t do that.” Jurina rolled her eyes, a smile nevertheless falling on her lips at the sound of Rena’s small laugh. “Come next to me.”

Rena accepted Jurina’s request and laid carefully by her side when Jurina scooted a little further away to give her enough space. Resting her head against Jurina’s shoulder, she gazed at the baby’s sleeping form at length, a smile forming on her lips when Jurina whispered a few affectionate words to her and kissed the top of her head. A comfortable silence enveloped them after that, Rena tentatively reaching for the baby’s small fingers.

From the moment she crossed path with the girl who would later become her assistant, her life had never been the same anymore. She was happy; happier than she ever thought she could be. After marrying the girl she loved so deeply, she was now going to have a family. Rena didn’t believe her life could possibly be more complete.


	9. Chapter 9

When Rena came back home after work, the first thing she noticed was the unusual quietness of the house. In fact, not a single noise could be heard when she passed the front door and placed her coat and shoes in the hallway. The CEO scanned the living room in curiosity, knowing the place should definitely be livelier at this time of the day. Indeed, her wife should already have picked up their four-year-old daughter from kindergarten an hour ago. Was it possible that they took advantage of the beautiful, sunny weather to go for a walk in the park nearby?

Rena took a few steps forward, soon addressing their domestic robot who was activated and standing next to the television. “Alfred, do you know where Jurina and Natsuki are?”

The robot gazed back at her and emitted a small sound in recognition but didn’t reply for all that. Rena blinked in confusion, wondering why he was remaining silent. If Jurina had left the house with Natsuki, then she evidently would have informed their faithful servant about it. There was no way Alfred was not aware of their whereabouts.

Just as she was about to insist, Alfred slowly lifted his left mechanical arm, pointing with his index in the direction of the sofa. Rena immediately relaxed, now understanding what he was discreetly trying to tell her. If her guess was right, her wife had not left the house with their daughter but could be much closer than she initially believed.

“Ah, it seems there’s no one home.” Rena decided to play along and sighed, while approaching without a sound the sofa from behind.

Her action certainly didn’t go unnoticed from the robot who watched her every move attentively, producing a small sound in delight when he understood what she was trying to achieve. The CEO turned to him briefly and pressed a finger against her lips, the robot immediately getting the message conveyed. Now, he didn’t dare to make another sound or move anymore, his blue eyes nevertheless not missing out the amusing scene unfolding in front of him.

Rena leaned over the back of the sofa and looked down, her mouth tugging into an amused smile at her discovery. On top of Jurina’s stomach, was laying a four-year-old Natsuki who was trying to stay very quiet, and who immediately gave her an impish side glance at her sight.

“Look what I found here…” Rena grinned, the little Natsuki immediately averting her gaze playfully to nuzzle her nose in the crook of Jurina’s neck. “Someone is playing hide and seek with mommy?”

“Ah no, Natsuki, our hideout is found…” Jurina faked disappointment, her eyes meeting those of her wife in a knowing smile. “Mommy is really, really too clever!”

A small giggle was muffled against her shoulder, and Natsuki’s good spirit prompted Rena to have a little fun with her. Extending her arm, she reached over her, not wasting time to tickle her stomach. Immediately, the little girl started wriggling on top of Jurina, in the desperate attempt to avoid the clever fingers. They played for a little while, tears forming in Natsuki’s eyes gradually, until it was too much for the very ticklish girl that she was and she had no choice but to concede defeat. “Mommy, stop! Stop!”

Rena decided to have a little mercy on her and complied, watching in amusement her daughter who was still laughing a little. Being CEO of such an important corporation was definitely time consuming, and she didn’t always have as much free time as Jurina to be with their daughter. That’s why she always relished every single minute they could spend the three of them as a family, nothing pleasing her more than witnessing her daughter’s cheerful expression.

As she ran her fingers affectionately through Natsuki’s long, black hair, she took advantage of the moment to observe her beautiful daughter more carefully. After four years, she could now clearly see traits of both Jurina and her in their daughter. Often, Jurina would state their daughter was definitely more like Rena, physically and personality wise. To support her declaration, she would bring forward her ‘princess-like’ appearance very similar to the CEO’s, and her introvert and solitary side.

It is true to say that, on the latter aspect, Natsuki didn’t have many friends in kindergarten. In fact, apart from Shizuru – Airi and Akane’s daughter – she had never brought any other friend home. However, if there were two traits she had definitely inherited from her other mother, it was her incredible stubbornness and athletic side. Once Natsuki had decided she wanted to play on the rocking horse in the children playground, you better had to hold her hand tight if you didn’t want to see her running towards it at increasing speed.

Jurina straightened up on the sofa once Natsuki was completely calmed down, giving her back an encouraging, light tap. “Come on, go and give a kiss to mommy.”

The little girl still avoided the CEO’s eyes playfully for a few more seconds – still visibly undecided if the game was completely over or not – before climbing down and making her way around the sofa. Rena kneeled down, welcoming Natsuki when she threw herself into her arms.

“Mommy is home.” Natsuki kissed Rena’s cheek, her smile broadening when she received a hug and a kiss in return.

Natsuki wrapped her arms around her neck and Rena lifted her up as she raised to her feet, not missing the joy still present in her little girl’s eyes. “What did Natsuki do today?”

“Drawing!” Natsuki replied, using her left finger to point at the coffee table with excitement.

Rena walked towards the designated place and took a seat on the sofa beside Jurina – placing a quick yet soft kiss against her wife’s lips in the process – before focusing on Natsuki who was turning around on her lap to face the drawing properly. “The mistress wanted us to draw our family!”

Rena glanced at the piece of paper in curiosity, startled when she noticed the important height difference between both parents, when they were in reality only a few inches apart. “Mama is taller than me?”

“Of course!” Natsuki affirmed, continuing with her description as if she had never interrupted her. “This is Natsuki.” She pointed next at a little girl situated between both parents, then a smaller character who was holding Natsuki’s hand. “And this is Alfred. I did his big blue eyes.”

“I can see that.” Rena rubbed Natsuki’s stomach affectionately, before planting a kiss on the top of her head. “It’s a beautiful drawing, darling. You can show it to Shizuru later.”

Natsuki’s smile vanished instantly and – even though she had her back turned – Rena could tell she had said something wrong by the way the little girl had fallen silent. It couldn’t be because of the compliment, so it somewhat had to do with the mention of Natsuki’s older friend. Intrigued, Rena glanced at Jurina in search of answers, but was met with a similar confused look. “What is it, honey?”

“S–Shizuru is coming tonight?” Natsuki stammered, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out she was not pleased by the prospect.  

“We told you auntie Airi and auntie Akane were coming for dinner tonight,” Rena reminded her, frowning slightly at her odd behavior. “Did you forget?”

A light hum was all she received in reply, and the CEO now wondered if both friends didn’t get into a fight. It would be surprising considering they got along well and Shizuru was a sweet and friendly little girl, but Natsuki’s sudden discomfort at the mention of Airi and Akane’s daughter was manifest. “Natsuki?”

“Did something happen with Shizuru?” Jurina asked in concern when the little girl didn’t reply, her question unfortunately receiving the same silent treatment.

“Little mistress is upset because Shizuru kissed her the other day,” a metallic voice sounded, all heads turning towards the robot now approaching. “Little mistress didn’t like it.”

 “A–Alfred!” Natsuki’s cheeks colored pink instantly. “It was a secret!”

The robot froze, now realizing his terrible mistake, and looked down to the floor in shame. “Forgive me, little mistress...”

Rena observed the robot who was not daring crossing Natsuki’s gaze, noting again how close he had grown to their daughter over the years. Long before Natsuki’s arrival into this world, Jurina had one day told her about a specific program implanted within the robot. Alfred was not just a domestic robot perfect to deal with everyday tasks in the house; he was also designed to take care of little children.

After Natsuki’s birth, it took Rena a few weeks to completely trust Alfred around their child. When Jurina had no difficulty letting the robot taking care of Natsuki unsupervised, Rena couldn’t help keeping an eye on him from time to time. Maybe she was being too protective. Or maybe it was the concept of a machine handling such a fragile human being that didn’t bode well with her.

In the end, she discovered her fears were unfounded. Alfred – their faithful humanoid robot who had now been under Jurina’s service for nine years – was perfect around Natsuki. Not only did he fully understand the little girl’s needs and was capable of taking care of them, he was also a devoted friend and a good listener. When Rena sometimes observed them both interacting in curiosity, it was more than obvious that he was very fond of his new little mistress, and the attachment was mutual.

“Where did Shizuru kiss you?” Rena asked gently, returning to the visibly tricky subject. “On the cheek?”

“N–No,” Natsuki babbled, still avoiding her parents’ gaze in unease. “Like mama kisses mommy.”

“That means she likes you,” Jurina chimed in, finding their daughter’s discomfort admittedly very cute. “Did you kiss her back?”

“Of course not!” Natsuki interjected, gazing back at her in shock as if she had made the most stupid suggestion ever. “It’s too embarrassing!”

Rena extended her hand towards Natsuki and circled her waist once she was standing in front of her. “No one is forcing you to kiss her back if you don’t want to,” Rena said, smiling a little when Natsuki’s face lit up in undeniable relief. “You can go and play in your room. We’ll call you when our guests have arrived.”

Natsuki nodded, her bare feet resonating on the floor as she turned around and moved in the direction of the staircase. Rena’s eyes followed her as she started climbing the stairs, the living room soon plunging into silence. Rena leaned her head against Jurina’s shoulder and sighed in content, relishing her wife’s presence.

They both still worked at the same company, but Jurina had ceased being her assistant four years ago. After both agreeing it was best to put the time machine project on hold – at least until Natsuki was old enough – Jurina had been promoted project manager. Now, she worked on floor 11, one of the floors occupied by the development and research department. “How was your day?”

“Fruitful,” Jurina stated, pressing her lips against her wife’s temple. “We filed a patent for a new pill. If everything goes well, we could start commercializing it in a few months.”

“The one that increases human speed?” Rena glanced back at her in surprise, getting a light hum in return. “Congratulations!”

Jurina laughed when her lips were quickly captured into a kiss, shaking her head a little when she noticed the CEO’s enthusiasm. “You have a wonderful team of scientists. Alone, I would never have managed this incredible breakthrough.”

“Always so modest.” Rena rolled her eyes. “Do you have any ideas how many companies envy me and would like to hire you?”

“Too bad I’m already taken,” Jurina teased. “Even if they offered me twice my current salary, I couldn’t possibly leave my beautiful employer.”

Rena’s eyes softened at the feeling of fingers caressing her cheek tenderly and was just about to claim Jurina’s lips once again, when she was interrupted by a very concerned voice sounding from the top of the stairs. “Mama! I can’t find Duran!”

At the mention of Natsuki’s favorite stuffed toy, Jurina gave Rena an apologetic look, knowing the little girl would never leave her in peace until she came to her rescue. “You don’t have to worry about dinner,” she declared, standing up from the sofa. “Alfred and I took care of everything.”

“Thank you...” Rena sent both Jurina and Alfred a smile of gratitude.

When her wife disappeared from her sight, Rena focused her attention on their domestic robot, noticing that he looked a little upset. Now, she wondered if his peculiar behavior wasn’t triggered by his previous short exchange with Natsuki, and he didn’t still feel ashamed for revealing her secret. She motioned the robot to come closer, a pair of curious big blue eyes falling on her when he obeyed and she took his hand. “Natsuki is not mad at you. Go and see her.”

Despite Rena’s appeasing tone, the robot still looked hesitant and didn’t bulge, and she knew it would take a little more convincing. “What if we both go and see her?”

This solution definitely appealed to the robot who emitted a cheerful sound, and she shot him an amused smile at his reaction. Standing from the sofa, she didn’t miss Alfred’s footsteps following her closely by as they both joined Jurina and Natsuki upstairs.


	10. Chapter 10

Jurina didn’t believe her life could be more ideal. These last six years, she had been blissfully happy alongside her beautiful wife, the arrival of their daughter Natsuki into their life perfecting the picture. Regarding her professional career, her skills were put to very good use at Matsui corporation. She was fortunate enough to work with the best scientists of the country and was given the free reins to develop projects dear to her heart. Despite all the freedom she was given, there was one project in particular she regretted never seeing come to its term. It was the reason why she had applied for a job at Matsui corporation in the first place, and for which she had been hired.

The time machine project.

Jurina was perfectly aware of Rena’s reasons for putting it on hold. When Natsuki was born, the business woman didn’t want to be a stranger to their daughter. The idea of having her growing up with an absent parent was inconceivable to her, and she wished to be as much present in her life as possible. In that sense, the time machine was an obstacle to her objective. Indeed, once the time machine would be built and Rena would begin travelling through time, she would evidently be far less present at home.

Jurina understood her wife’s logic, and naturally agreed when Rena suggested to pause the project. Once the decision was made, the team working on floor 22 got transferred to other services and allocated to other projects. However, as the years passed and Natsuki grew up, Jurina didn’t fail to notice that her wife spoke less frequently about her childhood dream.

When they first met, the CEO’s enthusiasm for this project was manifest. Jurina could tell how important it was to her, and she always loved the way her eyes would brighten up when she would talk at length and with great passion about all the ancient civilizations she couldn’t wait to explore. For Jurina, it was definitely a motivating factor, and it pushed her to work even harder day by day, more than decided to fulfill Rena’s wish.

These last few years, Rena’s interest for this project seemed to have progressively vanished. In fact, as they both got engrossed into their work and focused their attention on other projects, Jurina got the strong impression that Rena had purely and simply lost the will to finish the plans of the time machine. Somehow, the idea of Rena giving up on her dream didn’t appeal to Jurina in the slightest.

Tonight, she was determined to have a conversation with her about it. They had finished dinner half an hour ago and the CEO was busy working in the living room, while Natsuki was playing upstairs in her bedroom.

Jurina pulled a chair and sat at the table next to Rena, her arrival prompting the older Matsui to look up to her briefly and informing her she was almost done. Jurina nodded but remained silent, trying to figure out the best way to broach the tricky subject. It was not that she hadn’t tried already. Over the course of the year, she had mentioned the time machine now and then, hoping her wife would give her the green light to resume the project.

Each and single time, she had replied negatively, stating Natsuki was still too young. Up to that day, Jurina had always relented when her wife used their daughter’s age as an excuse for postponing the project again. Nevertheless, Rena’s blatant disinterest for the matter worried her.

As she waited patiently for her wife to finish her work, she already had all the arguments inside her head. Tonight, she was well decided to make herself heard.

“Is there something you wished to tell me?” Jurina, who was lost in her thoughts, glanced back at the CEO, noticing she had paused what she was doing, and was now watching her in mild curiosity.

“Yes, but I’ll let you finish your work first,” Jurina replied with a smile. “It can wait.”

Jurina expected her wife to follow her indications and resume what she was doing but to her surprise, she left her work aside the moment after. “No, I can sense it’s important. What is it?”

By Rena’s expectant look, Jurina knew she wasn’t going to continue her work until she had spoken to her. Taking a deep breath, she finally exposed what had been on her mind all evening, and for far too long. “I wanted to talk to you about the time machine project.”

When Rena let out a small sigh, Jurina guessed she didn’t really enjoy the direction this conversation was taking. Rena’s reluctance to talk about this subject was obvious, but she continued nevertheless. “I know you wanted to put this project on hold until Natsuki was old enough, but she’s almost five now. I think it’s time we start working on the plans of the time machine again. I suggest to re-allocate the previous team, and I also know a few people who could help.”

“Are you not satisfied with the current projects you’re working on?” Rena asked with a mixture of concern and confusion in her voice. “Is this the reason why you’re mentioning this again?”

“No,” Jurina quickly reassured her. “I like what I’m doing; it doesn’t have anything to do with that. It’s just that… it’s been five years now. If I didn’t know any better, I could easily believe you’re not interested in building the time machine anymore.”

“What if that was the case?” Rena’s tone was assured but at the same time gentle when she replied. “Would it be that surprising?”

Jurina stayed quiet when she heard the answer she dreaded the most. Until now, she was still somewhat hopeful Rena would tell her she was all wrong, and she had not given up on her wish to travel through time. Moreover, there was no sign of hesitation in Rena’s voice, almost as if she had already made up her mind a long time ago. “But you were so eager to go back in time when we first met,” Jurina insisted. “It was such a beautiful dream; a dream I promised you I was going to realize.”

“I know,” Rena conceded with a small nod. “But what if my goals in life have changed along the way? Tell me. What good reasons would I have to go back in time, when I already possess everything I desire in the present?”

Jurina felt slightly destabilized and a little desperate, sensing her arguments were having no impact whatsoever on her interlocutor. Nevertheless, she refused stubbornly to give up just yet. “I think you’re making a mistake, and I’m afraid you’ll regret it later.”

A warm smile spread across Rena’s face, and she extended her arm to cover her hand with hers. “I know you only wish for my happiness. I’m sorry for not being more honest with you. I should have told you I had already moved on and put that dream behind me.”

The moment after, Rena captured her lips in a gentle kiss, before diverting her attention to her work again. Despite the fact the conversation was clearly over, Jurina couldn’t help staring at her in incomprehension. She wanted so much to add something. Anything that could possibly change Rena’s mind. Rena’s dream was not incompatible with her family life anymore. Despite it, she was giving up on it willingly.

Jurina didn’t believe she would ever be able to accept that.

 

* * *

 

 

“Read me a story, mama!”

Jurina, who was putting Natsuki to bed, smiled to herself when she heard the demand. Once she considered Natsuki was finally tucked properly, she glanced back at her, expecting to hear such a request the moment the little girl placed her head on the blue pillow. These last few months, Natsuki really enjoyed it when she read her stories before going to sleep, and they already had gone through half the little girl’s book collection.

Jurina observed her daughter, caressing her hair with affection when she noticed her pressing Duran – her favorite stuffed toy – against her cheek. Considering the very expectant look her daughter was giving her, Jurina knew she would have a hard time accepting no for an answer. After briefly checking the time on the alarm-clock and discovering she still had some time left before Natsuki’s bedtime, she nodded. “Alright. Let’s read a story.”

Natsuki’s smile broadened instantly and Jurina walked towards Natsuki’s bookshelf, looking for a story she had not read yet. As she grabbed a book and sat on Natsuki’s bed, her previous conversation with her wife unexpectedly submerged her mind. Jurina let out a despondent sigh, still somewhat frustrated she had failed miserably to convince her. The thought of broaching the subject again didn’t even occur to her, knowing insisting would be of no use now that her wife had made it perfectly clear she didn’t wish to travel through time anymore.    

Jurina jolted out of her reverie when she heard Natsuki’s voice calling her hesitantly, and her conversation with Rena fell progressively at the back of her head as she paid attention again to the thick hardcover book on her lap. The title was the first thing she read. “ _The Prince of Nagoya_.”

Jurina’s mouth tugged into a smile when the title definitely rang a bell, and she realized it was a story her own grandmother used to read her when she was a child. However, because of the distant memory, some details about the plot remained a bit blurry. “A long time ago, a young prince lived in a beautiful castle. Always calm and polite, the prince was also very well educated and wise. With his shiny long black hair falling down his shoulders and his porcelain face, he was known across the country as a very handsome young man.”

“Mommy!” Jurina paused in her reading at Natsuki’s sudden exclamation. “The prince is mommy!”

Jurina looked up in surprise, noticing Natsuki’s excitement when their eyes met. “You think the prince looks like mommy?” she asked in bewilderment, laughing when the little girl nodded swiftly. “Alright, we’ll say mommy is the prince, then.”

Jurina found Natsuki’s statement very amusing but didn’t try to contradict her, and she resumed the story.

“Since a very young age, the prince had always been a very studious person, preferring by far the company of his books than sparring with his private tutor. Because of his neat appearance and advantageous looks, the prince drew a lot of attention, but he remained a very solitary person. Even though he was surrounded by many people, he always enjoyed more the quietness of his library than the liveliness of ballrooms. However, there were some duties he simply couldn’t afford to miss. One day, he received a delegation from a distant kingdom, among them a certain beautiful princess...”

Jurina made a pause, tilting her head towards Natsuki in curiosity when her daughter was not making a single noise anymore, willing to check if she had not fallen asleep. The pair of eyes staring back at her in great interest clearly proved otherwise, a small pout forming on Natsuki’s lips the moment after. “Why did you stop, mama?”

“Sorry,” Jurina apologized with a smile, seeing this story seemed to have definitely caught her daughter’s attention. Without further ado, she continued. “They fell in love with each other at first sight and a few months later, they celebrated their love with a beautiful wedding. They were very happy together, until tragedy struck.”

“N–No,” Natsuki’s voice trembled at the news, and she tightly squeezed Duran. “Did something happen to the princess?”

Jurina smiled inwardly, impressed by her daughter’s perceptiveness. “A king visiting their kingdom fell madly in love with the princess and tried to seduce her, but soon realized the princess’s heart would never belong to another but the prince. However, the king refused the concede defeat and, one night, took advantage of his hosts’ hospitality to kidnap the princess.

The young prince was completely devastated but was unfortunately powerless against the evil king: his small army was simply no match against his. Despite it, the young prince refused to give up on the woman he loved so deeply. The thought of living without his beloved princess by his side was just too unbearable.

With no other options left, the prince did the unconceivable: he sought help from a witch. His advisors tried desperately to change the prince’s mind, warning him about her dangerous powers. The prince, who always listened carefully to his advisors until now, dismissed all their warnings one by one. The prince was determined to save his princess; he was ready to face any danger. One day, he took his horse and rode in search of the witch, who was told to be living in a forest a few days away from his kingdom.

The prince found the forest but it was so vast, that he soon got lost in its immensity. After wandering for days in the forest with an empty flask, he unexpectedly came across a small, wooden hut out of nowhere. The prince, realizing he had finally discovered the witch’s hideout, climbed down from his horse, his steps a little unsteady when he walked towards the cabin. He had not drunk a single drop of water in several days.

Despite his undeniable relief, he was still very cautious when he approached the wooden hut, his fingers clutching the pommel of his sword when he pushed the door. His advisors’ warnings came to the forefront of his mind when he came face-to-face with the witch, but he refused to let his fear transpire in front of the woman. 

The witch invited him to take a seat and, after carefully assessing the situation and judging the elderly woman currently harmful, he followed her instructions and started explaining the reason of his presence. The whole time, the witch listened attentively, never interrupting him once. When the prince finished his story and voiced his demand, he progressively feared the witch was not going to be of any help. The prince had always been very perceptive, and the fact he couldn’t read the woman at all was very destabilizing.

To his surprise, she agreed to help him. The prince was so overjoyed by the news, he promised to give her everything she wanted if she succeeded in bringing him back his beloved princess. The witch seemed satisfied with his offer and agreed to his terms, although she never specified what she wished in return. The prince didn’t think too much of it. He was not very rich, but his wife was worth all the gold in the world…That’s when–”

The sound of the bedroom’s door opening distracted Jurina and she looked up in curiosity, noticing her wife standing on the doorstep. Rena’s eyes fell on her at first, before lingering on the little girl in bed. “It’s time to sleep, honey.”

“No!” Natsuki immediately protested vehemently. “Mama hasn’t finished the story! I want to know what happens to the prince and the princess!”

“You have school tomorrow,” Rena reminded her gently. “It’s already past your bedtime.”

Natsuki’s disappointment was manifest, but Jurina knew she couldn’t argue with her wife when she noticed the late hour, and realized she indeed got a little carried away. Placing a bookmark at the page she was reading she closed the book, giving their daughter an apologetic look. “Mommy is right. Natsuki needs to sleep if she wants to make beautiful drawings tomorrow.”

“Duran is not sleepy!” Natsuki whined. “Look!”

Jurina smiled with amusement when the little girl held her stuffed dog in the air, almost considering reading a few more pages to please her daughter. However, when she heard her wife clearing her throat behind her back, she knew the latter was never going to let such a thing happen under her watch. “I’ll continue the story tomorrow.”

Natsuki didn’t seem satisfied with the reply at all but didn’t insist anymore when Jurina stood up from the bed and placed the book back on the shelf. “You promise?”

“I promise,” Jurina confirmed with a nod, moving towards the bed again and kissing Natsuki’s cheek softly. “Sleep well.”

When Jurina took a step back, Rena approached and leaned down to kiss Natsuki’s forehead, the little girl quickly catching her forearm as she was about to retreat. “Mommy, is the prince going to save the princess?”

Rena widened her eyes at her daughter’s sudden question, having absolutely no clue what she was talking about, until deducing it probably had something to do with the story Jurina was currently reading her. “What does Natsuki think?”

“I think the prince is very strong and loves the princess,” Natsuki replied with conviction. “He will deliver her from the evil king.”

Rena smiled, her fingertips tracing Natsuki’s cheek tenderly. “I’m sure he will. Goodnight, darling.”

Natsuki’s eyes followed her parents until they turned the light off and left the door slightly ajar behind them, her attention soon drawn in interest to the book resting on the shelf. The temptation to sneak out of bed and read the rest of the story was very strong. However, she soon gave up on the idea, conscious she was still too young to understand all the complicated words written on the pages. Reluctantly, Natsuki closed her eyes and held Duran close, impatient to discover how the brave prince was going to save his beloved princess.


End file.
